Senate Republicans Defy Trump in Vote to Rescind Tariffs on Canadian Goods
In a rare public rebuke of President Donald Trump’s trade policy, four Senate Republicans joined Democrats this evening to support a joint resolution aimed at rescinding tariffs on Canadian imports—a move that not only undercuts a key piece of Trump’s economic agenda but hands Democrats a symbolic victory on trade.
The measure passed the Senate by a narrow 51-48 margin, a stunning moment given the GOP’s current 53-47 majority.
The Four Republican Defectors
The four Republicans who crossed party lines to support the Democrat-led initiative were:
- Susan Collins (R-ME)
- Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Rand Paul (R-KY)
While defections by Collins and Murkowski are not unprecedented, McConnell and Paul siding with Democrats on this issue marks a particularly significant break, especially considering the national security and trade implications involved.
Background: The Tariff Dispute with Canada
The resolution, spearheaded by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), seeks to terminate the national emergency Trump declared regarding illicit drugs and Canadian trade practices. That declaration had served as the legal foundation for a series of tariffs on Canadian goods, aimed at compelling Ottawa to curb the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids into the United States, and to address long-standing trade imbalances.
Trump has repeatedly defended the tariffs as a tool to protect American industries and stop deadly drugs at the border.
“Canada has done nothing to stop the fentanyl flooding into our communities,” Trump said on Truth Social this morning.
“Removing these tariffs sends a message of weakness and plays directly into the hands of those who benefit from a wide-open border and broken trade deals.”
GOP Divided on Trade and National Emergencies
Sen. Rand Paul, a consistent critic of executive overreach, was a co-sponsor of Kaine’s resolution and framed his support as a stand against what he views as unconstitutional uses of national emergency declarations.
Sen. Murkowski told Politico she believed the tariffs had outlived their justification.
Collins, often a swing vote, signaled early in the day she was “very likely” to support the resolution.
McConnell, who has long expressed skepticism about Trump’s tariff policies, quietly threw his support behind the measure, a move that may reflect growing discomfort among establishment Republicans over escalating trade tensions.
Trump’s Response: Sharp Criticism, Veto Threat
In a strongly worded post on Truth Social, Trump warned the four Republicans they were playing a dangerous game with American lives by weakening his efforts to fight the opioid epidemic and protect U.S. manufacturers.
“By flirting with joining the left, these four Republicans are playing with the lives of ordinary Americans. This is a betrayal,” he wrote.
He further vowed to veto the measure should it reach his desk—a move that, given the current political math, would almost certainly prevent it from becoming law. The House of Representatives, with its pro-Trump majority, is not expected to bring the resolution to the floor.
Political Fallout and What’s Next
Although largely symbolic due to its unlikely path in the House, the Senate vote offers Democrats a potent talking point and signals potential fault lines within the GOP on trade and executive power. It also reinforces the ongoing tension between Trump and a faction of Senate Republicans uncomfortable with his hardline trade policies and use of national emergency powers.
For now, the tariffs remain in place. But this vote serves as a warning shot from within the President’s own party—one that could foreshadow future battles over foreign policy, trade, and executive authority as the administration presses forward with its America First agenda.