A Senate vote to reverse Trump’s tariffs on Canada tests Republican support
WASHINGTON (AP) — With President Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” of tariff implementation fast approaching, Senate Democrats are putting Republican support for some of those plans to the test by forcing a vote to nullify the emergency declaration that underpins the tariffs on Canada.
Republicans have watched with some unease as the president’s attempts to remake global trade have sent the stock market downward, but they have so far stood by Trump’s on-again-off-again threats to levy taxes on imported goods.
Even as the resolution from Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia offered them a potential off-ramp to the tariffs levied on Canadian imports, Republican leaders were trying to keep senators in line by focusing on fentanyl that comes into the U.S. over its northern border. It was yet another example of how Trump is not only reorienting global economics, but upending his party’s longtime support for ideas like free trade.
“I really relish giving my Republican colleagues the chance to not just say they’re concerned, but actually take an action to stop these tariffs,” Kaine told The Associated Press in an interview last week.
Kaine’s resolution would end the emergency declaration that Trump signed in February to implement tariffs on Canada as punishment for not doing enough to halt the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. If the Senate passes the resolution, it would still need to be taken up by the Republican-controlled House.
A small fraction of the fentanyl that comes into the U.S. enters from Canada. Customs and Border Protection seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the northern border 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.
Democrats warned that tariffs on Canadian goods would ripple through the economy, making it more expensive to build homes, outfit military ships and pay for daily goods.
“These tariffs are a tax increase on American families — plain and simple,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. He argued that the increased costs for American households were being done “simply to give a tax cut to Trump’s billionaire friends.”
Schumer said he agrees with taking on China “which really has hurt us in trade every step of the way.” But the tariffs don’t make sense for an ally whose economy is so interconnected with the U.S. economy. He added the tariffs are creating uncertainty with businesses and consumers.
At a news conference Tuesday, Kaine said fentanyl trafficking is an emergency, but that the emergency stems from China and Mexico, not Canada. He said Trump invented a “made-up emergency” to help pay for extending tax cuts that he said primarily benefit the wealthy.
“How are they going to pay for it? Massive cuts in programs like Medicaid and Medicare, and tariffs imposed on the backs of everyday Americans,” Kaine said.
Still, Trump has claimed that the amount of fentanyl coming from Canada is “massive” and pledged to follow through by executing tariffs Wednesday.
“We are making progress to end this terrible Fentanyl Crisis, but Republicans in the Senate MUST vote to keep the National Emergency in place, so we can finish the job, and end the scourge,” Trump said on social media Tuesday.
Still, a few of Republicans have indicated they are considering voting for the legislation, which would need just a simple majority to pass the Senate.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said she was still examining the bill, yet added she supported its “intent” because “Canadian tariffs are disastrous for the state of Maine.”
“Canada’s our friends and our ally, and this is not China we’re talking about. It’s not an adversarial nation. It’s our biggest trading partner, and this just makes no sense,” she added.
Republican leaders in the Senate have signaled they aren’t exactly fans of tariffs, but argued that Trump is using them as a negotiating tool.
“I think all of us are anxious to see — and we’ll wait to see — what the president actually comes out with in terms of tariff policy tomorrow, but I don’t think that should change people’s vote,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters at the Capitol.
He added that the emergency declaration was made to “deal with the flow of fentanyl.”
While Trump’s close allies in the Senate were standing steadfastly by the idea of remaking the U.S. economy through tariffs, others have begun openly voicing their dissatisfaction with trade wars that could disrupt industries and raise prices on autos, groceries, housing and other goods.
“I’m keeping a close eye on all these tariffs because oftentimes the first folks that are hurt in a trade war are your farmers and ranchers,” said Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican.
Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said he would prefer to see the U.S. and its trading partners move to remove all tariffs on each other, but he conceded that Trump’s tariff threats had injected uncertainty into global markets.
“We’re in uncharted waters,” Kennedy told reporters. “Nobody knows what the impact of these tariffs is going to be.”
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Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed reporting.
By STEPHEN GROVES
Associated Press
