Politics

Senate Rebels: How Republicans Teamed Up to Challenge Trump’s Canada Tariffs

Senate votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffs, a symbolic rebuke. Four Republicans joined Democrats in the 50-46 vote.

byEditorial Staff

October 29, 2025, 8:56 PM

A sign on a wall in the US Capitol building reads "United States Senate".

A sign for the United States Senate in the US Capitol building. By Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com.

Executive Summary

The Senate passed a resolution, 50-46, to terminate President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, with four Republicans joining Democrats.

The Senate’s vote is largely symbolic as the resolution is not expected to advance in the House of Representatives.

The resolution underscores ongoing congressional opposition to Trump’s trade policies and his use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on allies.

The Story So Far

President Donald Trump has implemented tariffs on allies such as Canada and Brazil, often invoking emergency powers through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which some in Congress view as a “pretext” rather than a legitimate emergency. This approach has generated significant bipartisan opposition in the Senate, leading to a series of symbolic votes aimed at rebuking the administration’s trade policies and influencing Trump’s actions, despite the unlikelihood of these resolutions advancing in the House.

Why This Matters

The Senate’s bipartisan vote, though largely symbolic and unlikely to advance, underscores a significant and ongoing congressional challenge to President Trump’s trade policies and his use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on allies like Canada, potentially influencing future executive actions and highlighting persistent tensions between the legislative and executive branches on economic policy.

Who Thinks What?

Senate Democrats and a bipartisan group of Republicans, including Sens. Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Mitch McConnell, believe President Trump’s tariffs on Canada are an overreach of executive power, arguing the emergency declaration used was a “pretext,” and they seek to terminate them.

President Trump’s administration maintains the tariffs on Canada, using an emergency declaration, indicating a stance that these tariffs are a necessary tool for his trade policies.

The Senate passed a resolution on Wednesday aimed at terminating President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, with four Republicans joining Democrats in a 50-46 vote. The move, which follows a similar vote against tariffs on Brazil, serves as a symbolic rebuke of the administration’s trade policies, as it is not expected to advance in the House of Representatives.

Senate Vote on Canada Tariffs

Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky sided with Democrats. All four senators had previously voted in April to block the Canada tariffs.

The resolution seeks to end the tariffs by terminating an emergency declaration by the president. However, its passage is largely symbolic, as House Republicans earlier this year moved to prevent members from forcing a vote on the president’s tariffs in the near future.

Congressional Opposition and Presidential Response

Senator Paul was a co-sponsor of the resolution. Senator McConnell also pledged to vote for all resolutions targeting Trump’s tariffs that Democrats plan to introduce this week, with one more vote expected on Thursday regarding other tariffs.

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democratic co-sponsor of the Canada tariff resolution, criticized the administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He argued that the initial claim of fentanyl flowing from Canada as an inciting emergency was a “pretext” for imposing tariffs.

Kaine highlighted the recent increase in tariffs, which occurred after the Ontario Premier ran an anti-tariff advertisement. Despite the resolution’s unlikelihood of advancing beyond the Senate, Kaine suggested such votes can “make an impression” on Trump and potentially influence his behavior.

Key Takeaways

The Senate’s latest vote underscores ongoing congressional efforts to challenge President Trump’s trade policies, particularly his use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on key allies like Canada.