GOP Senators Break Ranks on Trump Tariffs
McConnell and Others Support Measure Challenging Emergency Powers
Key Takeaways:
- The Senate voted 51-47 on Oct. 30 to oppose President Donald Trump’s global tariffs, marking its third rebuke of his trade policies this week.
- The largely symbolic resolution highlights Republican unease over Trump’s use of emergency powers for tariffs as economic concerns grow.
- The House is unlikely to take up the measure, while the Supreme Court will hear arguments next week on the legality of Trump’s tariff authority.
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The Republican-led Senate passed legislation opposing President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, its third vote this week rebuking the White House’s trade policies. Ìý
The 51-47 vote, which included four Republicans, underscores growing economic anxiety over Trump’s often-changing tariff regime. Senators earlier this week narrowly passed bills to end emergency authorities underpinning the tariffs onÌýCanadaÌýandÌýBrazil.Ìý
The resolutions are largely symbolic because the House still must pass them, and Republican leaders there have refused to take them up. But the votes are the clearest sign yet of growing Republican unrest over Trump’s use of rarely used emergency powers to tariff imports. Ìý
Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Kentucky’s Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell voted with Democrats on the global tariff measure.
RELATED:ÌýTrump and Xi Ease Tension With Truce on Tariffs, Rare Earths
The Oct. 30 vote comes as Trump returns to Washington from a week-long trip to Asia, where he touted new trade agreement frameworks with various economic partners. He also agreed to an extended truce with China during his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since returning to the White House.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments next week on the legality of the president’s use of emergency power to impose the duties after agreeing to hear the case on an expedited schedule. Trump lost similar legal challenges in lower courts.
The Senate tried to pass the same legislation to end the global tariffs earlier this year but itÌýnarrowly failed.
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