WASHINGTON – The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday night that would thwart President Donald Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada, just hours after he unveiled sweeping plans to clamp down on international trade.
Senate votes to repeal Trump’s Canada tariffs
By the numbers: The Senate resolution, passed by a 51-48 vote tally with four Republicans and all Democrats in support, would end Trump’s emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking that underpins tariffs on Canada.
To justify the tariffs, Trump has previously argued that Canada is not doing enough to stop illegal drugs from entering the northern border. Customs and Border Protection seized 43 pounds of fentanyl in its northern border sector during the 2024 fiscal year, and since January, authorities have seized less than 1.5 pounds, according to federal data. Meanwhile, at the southern border, authorities seized over 21,000 pounds last year.
The backstory:
Trump earlier Wednesday announced orders — on his so-called “Liberation Day” — to impose import taxes on a slew of international trading partners, though Canadian imports for now were spared from new taxes.
Trump said he planned to impose “reciprocal” tariffs on duties that other countries charge on U.S. products but won’t match the rates other countries have implemented.
What they’re saying:
“In other words, they charge us, we charge them. We charge them less. So how can anybody be upset?” Trump said on Wednesday.
The president announced a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the U.S., but this won’t change the existing tariffs, the White House said.
United States Capitol building. (Credit: Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
Trump earlier Wednesday singled out the four Republicans — Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rand Paul of Kentucky — who voted in favor of the resolution.
What they’re saying:
In a statement following the vote, McConnell, the former Senate Republican leader, said, “As I have always warned, tariffs are bad policy, and trade wars with our partners hurt working people most.”
What’s next:
The Senate’s legislation has practically no chance of passing the Republican-controlled House and being signed by Trump, but it showed the limits of Republican support for Trump’s vision of remaking the U.S. economy by restricting free trade.
