WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, 51 senators, including four Republicans, voted to repeal President Donald Trump’s tariff on Canadian goods, in a bipartisan rebuke of the administration’s trade policies.
It comes just hours after Trump imposed 10% tariffs on all imports and additional reciprocal tariffs on goods from 60 countries, escalating the global trade war.
The vote represents the first significant bipartisan opposition to Trump’s policies since he took office just over two months ago.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., proposed a resolution to end an emergency order issued by Trump in February in response to concerns about fentanyl crossing the northern border with Canada. That order has served as the foundation for 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.
It would need to be approved by the Republican-controlled House and signed by the president to take effect, so it has little chance of changing US policy.
However, the bipartisan statement reflects widespread dissatisfaction, including among some Republicans, with a trade policy that economists predict will raise consumer prices.
Democrats have argued that the tariffs will be disastrous for the US economy, raising consumer prices and slowing trade.
“The average American family will pay more than $5,000 out of their pocket to pay for these tariffs,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Wednesday. “Why would Trump do this?” One reason is that he wants to use the money he makes from tariffs to give tax breaks to billionaires.”
Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats in opposing the president’s tariffs on Canada.
The four GOP senators have previously clashed with Trump, voting against some of his key Cabinet nominees. Paul also voted against the Republican government funding extension.
Trump chastised them in a Truth Social post early Wednesday morning, urging them to “get on the Republican bandwagon, for change.”
“Every business interest in my state says we don’t want tariffs,” Paul told the audience. “Tariffs on Canada will put us in a recession. “It is a terrible, terrible idea.”
He went on to say that every time the Republican Party supported tariffs, it suffered political consequences.
When Republicans in Congress and the White House passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in the 1930s, he claimed, “they were decimated for 60 years.” For 60 years, Republicans did not have control of the House or Senate.
While the vast majority of Senate Republicans supported Trump on the vote, the four dissidents’ dissatisfaction with the president’s tariffs reflects unease about tariffs among many members of their party, who are concerned about potential price increases.
“I think there’s uncertainty, leading to concern, about what effect (tariffs) might have on the prices of cars or goods or inputs to business,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “So I am concerned about that.
But I also believe we have been treated unfairly in our trading protocols on numerous occasions, and we deserve to be treated equally.
Most Republicans, however, voted against the resolution, citing concerns about fentanyl entering the United States, which served as the basis for Trump’s emergency order to justify previously announced tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China.
“What will happen if we focus on fentanyl coming across the southern border and from China but fail to address the northern border component of this crisis?” questioned Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on the Senate floor Wednesday. “Will the cartels simply change tactics and expand their operations to the north?” I am confident that the answer to that question is yes.
According to Customs and Border Protection, officials have seized less than 1.5 pounds of fentanyl at the northern border this year, compared to approximately 50 pounds last year. In contrast, more than 20,000 pounds were seized at the southern border in 2024.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said the administration’s tariffs are creating “a level of instability and uncertainty” for businesses “that is akin to this exact moment five years ago with COVID.”
She claims that a Trump voter approached her at a gas station in Michigan and expressed concern that Trump will be a “yo-yo” on tariffs.
“So I think Michiganders understand the impact,” Slotkin said. “And my Republican colleagues will say it softly, in a quiet voice.”
“But it’s a culture of fear, and it’s affecting everybody I know,” she said, referring to the risk of backlash among Republicans for publicly criticizing the president. “They don’t want to stick their neck out.”
