On Thursday, four Republican senators joined Democrats in voting for a bipartisan resolution to repeal President Trump’s global tariffs, including higher tariffs on goods from long-standing U.S. allies such as the European Union, Japan, and South Korea.
The resolution was introduced by Republican Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), along with Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
This same proposal was defeated in the Senate in late April by a vote of 50 to 49, with Vice President Vance casting the deciding vote.
It is worth noting that Mitch McConnell and Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (R-RI.), who voted for the resolution on Thursday, were absent during the spring vote.
The joint Senate resolution, which fits on a single page, simply states that the April 2nd national emergency declaration, dubbed “Liberation Day” by President Trump, which authorized the imposition of sweeping reciprocal tariffs on countries around the world, will be revoked on the date of its adoption.
The adoption of this measure represents a symbolic victory for critics of Trump’s trade policy, but its practical impact is limited. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (Republican of Louisiana) is not expected to bring it to a vote, and Trump would almost certainly veto any measure that restricts his power.
Senator Ron Wyden (Republican of Oregon), the resolution’s lead Democratic author, stated that the tariffs imposed by Trump have driven up the cost of living for Americans.
“American families are struggling to make ends meet with rising prices,” he told the Senate. “More than three-quarters of families say their monthly expenses have increased by more than $100.”
McConnell warned in a statement earlier this week that “tariffs are making it more expensive to build and buy real estate in the United States.”
He added, “The economic damage caused by trade warnings is not the exception, but the rule. No amount of Reagan analysis could prove otherwise,” referring to Trump’s displeasure with a television ad funded by the Canadian province of Ontario that quoted President Reagan to criticize its tariff policy, and another ad that Trump accused of misrepresenting Reagan’s words.
The Senate voted earlier this week to end the high tariffs imposed by Trump on Canada and Brazil.
However, the House of Representatives is not expected to vote on these measures.
Paul, Collins, Murkowski and McConnell voted Wednesday to eliminate the 35% tariffs on Canadian products, and those same four Republicans, along with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), voted Tuesday to eliminate the 50% tariffs on Brazilian products.
