Politics

How Republicans Defied President Trump: A Look at the Key Foreign Policy Battles

Republicans voted against Trump’s tariffs on Brazil & Canada, challenging his foreign policy.

October 29, 2025, 10:51 PM

House Speaker Mike Johnson (center), wearing a dark suit and red striped tie, smiles as he walks out of the U.S. Capitol Building with other members of the senior House leadership.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) walks out of the U.S. Capitol Building with senior House leadership on May 16, 2024, heading to a press conference in Washington, D.C. By Shutterstock.com / Philip Yabut.

Executive Summary

Congressional Republicans recently voted against President Trump’s tariffs on Brazil and Canada, signaling a rare legislative pushback.

This opposition follows a pattern of congressional challenges to Trump, primarily on foreign policy and national security matters, often with bipartisan or significant Republican support.

The votes to impeach and convict President Trump following January 6, 2021, represent the most significant bipartisan rebukes by Congress in U.S. history.

The Story So Far

Despite generally aligning with Donald Trump’s agenda, Congressional Republicans have a documented history of legislative pushback, particularly on foreign policy and national security issues, where a contingent of lawmakers has asserted congressional authority or expressed opposition to specific presidential decisions. This established pattern, which includes past challenges on Russia sanctions, Yemen involvement, NATO, and Syria policies, provides the crucial context for understanding the recent Senate votes against Donald Trump’s tariffs on Brazil and Canada.

Why This Matters

Despite broad Republican alignment with President Trump, a consistent pattern of congressional pushback, particularly on foreign policy and national security matters such as recent tariff votes and past actions on Russia sanctions and Syria, underscores a significant assertion of legislative authority. This trend suggests that even within his own party, there are discernible limits to presidential power, potentially influencing the scope and feasibility of future policy initiatives, especially those affecting international relations.

Who Thinks What?

A contingent of Congressional Republicans has demonstrated a willingness to vote against President Trump on key policy matters, particularly foreign policy and national security issues such as tariffs on Brazil and Canada, Russia sanctions, and U.S. involvement in Yemen, often citing concerns about specific presidential decisions or asserting congressional authority.

President Trump and his administration have pursued specific foreign policy and trade agendas, including imposing tariffs, which have faced legislative opposition and rebukes from some members of his own party in Congress.

Congressional Republicans have demonstrated a rare willingness to vote against President Donald Trump on key policy matters, most notably this week with two separate Senate votes opposing his tariffs on Brazil and Canada. These actions underscore a pattern of legislative pushback, primarily on foreign policy issues, by a party that has largely aligned itself with Trump’s agenda.

Recent Tariff Rebukes

The Senate recently expressed its opposition to President Trump’s tariffs on Brazil and Canada. On Tuesday, five Republican senators, including Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voted against the Brazil tariffs, leading to a 52-48 vote against Trump’s policy. Senator Tillis cited concerns that the Brazil tariffs appeared linked to that country’s prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro rather than actual trade disputes.

Earlier this year, and again on Wednesday, four Republican senators—Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski—voted to terminate Trump’s national emergency declaration for tariffs on Canada. Vice President JD Vance had actively lobbied to prevent these rebukes. While the Republican-controlled House has previously acted to prevent similar votes, the Senate’s majority opposition signifies a notable challenge to President Trump’s tariff policy.

Previous Congressional Challenges to Trump

Russia Sanctions (2017)

One of the earliest significant congressional rebukes occurred in 2017 when Congress passed new sanctions against Russia, which the Trump White House explicitly opposed. The legislation also empowered Congress to block President Trump from easing existing Russia sanctions. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, 98-2 in the Senate and 419-3 in the House, leading Trump to sign it despite claiming unconstitutional provisions.

Yemen Involvement (2018)

In late 2018, the Senate voted 56-41 to end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen. This move came shortly after President Trump signaled a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia, even after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Seven Senate Republicans supported the measure.

NATO Withdrawal Prevention (2019)

Amid President Trump’s occasional considerations of withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during his first term, the Democratic-controlled House passed legislation in early 2019. The bill, which passed 357-22, aimed to prohibit the use of funds for withdrawing from the alliance, making such a move more difficult.

Syria Policies (2019)

President Trump’s decisions regarding Syria in 2019 prompted several congressional rebukes. After his move to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan, the Republican-controlled Senate passed nonbinding amendments expressing opposition, citing concerns about terrorist regrouping and destabilization. One amendment passed 68-23, with 43 Republican senators voting in favor of a similar measure later that year.

Later in 2019, President Trump’s withdrawal from northeast Syria, which many viewed as abandoning U.S.-allied Kurdish forces, led to further condemnation. The Democrat-led House passed a resolution 354-60, with significant Republican support, stating the withdrawal benefited adversaries like Syria, Iran, and Russia.

Other Middle East Issues (2019)

Congress also challenged President Trump’s stance on other Middle East issues, including arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Legislation passed both chambers with the support of 16 House Republicans and seven Senate Republicans, though President Trump ultimately vetoed it.

January 6 Impeachment (2021)

The votes to impeach and convict President Trump following the events of January 6, 2021, represent some of the most significant bipartisan rebukes of a president in U.S. history. Ten House Republicans voted to impeach, making it the most bipartisan impeachment vote ever, and seven Senate Republicans voted to convict, marking the most members of a president’s party to ever vote that way.

While loyalty to President Trump has largely characterized the Republican Party in Congress, these instances demonstrate that lawmakers have, at times, been willing to challenge the president. These challenges have predominantly centered on foreign policy and national security matters, where a contingent of Republicans has asserted congressional authority or expressed opposition to specific presidential decisions.