Republicans failed to renew a ban on legislation seeking to overturn tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, setting the stage for Democrats to potentially force votes later this week to terminate the penalties on Canada and Mexico.
The House failed to pass a procedural measure advancing a bipartisan housing package after Republicans quietly tucked in language to extend the anti-tariff ban through the end of July, prompting pushback from a handful of Republicans who voted with all Democrats to reject the measure. GOP leaders must now restart consideration of the housing legislation, delaying a key agenda item for this week.
Three Republicans voted against the procedural vote, known as “the rule,” which is necessary to set the parameters for debate and final consideration of bills. With current House margins, Republicans could only afford to lose party member before the measure failed.
All four members of Utah’s House delegation voted in favor of extending the tariffs.
Before advancing the rule on Monday evening, Republican leaders added language unrelated to the week’s legislative schedule that would extend a previously approved resolution blocking any action related to Trump’s emergency order and subsequent tariffs. The resolution, initially passed in April and then again in September, is scheduled to expire July 31, 2026.
The last ban expired at the end of last month, and Republican leaders initially were not going to extend it. However, Democrats announced they would push ahead with plans to force a vote on ending the national emergency signed by Trump last February to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico — pushing GOP leaders into action.
But that attempted extension is partially why the vote failed. Rep. Don Bacon, one of the Republicans who rejected the measure, was promised last year that any anti-tariff language would expire at the end of January with no renewal.
Bacon cited Article I, which states Congress’ authority to approve tariffs, as his reasoning for voting against the bill.
The failed vote highlights rare bipartisan opposition against the Trump administration as both parties have lamented the tariffs — particularly those against ally nations — have raised prices of groceries and other consumer goods.
The GOP defectors cited those concerns as a justification for their objection to the bill. The two Republicans who joined Bacon to shoot down the bill were Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Kevin Kiley of California.
Massie and Kiley previously voted against the tariff-blocking measure in September.
With the failed effort, Democrats are poised to force votes ending the national emergency signed by Trump last February to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico. If that passes — which is possible, considering Democrats only need one of those three Republicans to support the bill to succeed — it will head to the Senate.
The Senate has already passed its own legislation to cancel the Canada tariffs, most recently in October when four Republicans joined all Democrats to vote in favor of terminating the punitive measures. If it gets a vote again, it’s likely to pass.
President Donald Trump is expected to veto the measure should it reach his desk. However, Democrats hope to use a rejection from the president as political collateral.