On Wednesday, the Senate, led by Republicans, voted against a resolution aimed at reversing President Trump’s "Liberation Day" tariffs. The vote ended in a 49-49 tie, largely due to the absence of two key senators who oppose the tariffs. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island was returning from a conference in South Korea, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky was also not present.
After the tie, there was a motion to reconsider the resolution later, but Republicans quickly moved to table it. Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote, effectively ending the effort to roll back Trump’s tariffs.
The resolution, introduced by Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), sought to terminate the national emergency declaration that allowed Trump to impose these tariffs in early April. Paul argued that tariffs are essentially taxes and that only Congress has the authority to impose taxes, emphasizing the need for Congress to reclaim its power.
Trump’s tariffs set a 10% rate on imports from many countries, with even higher rates on some goods. Although Trump initially paused the tariffs for 90 days, he later raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% in response to China’s retaliatory actions.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) acknowledged that the tariff issue remains unresolved, expressing a desire to give the administration time to negotiate better trade deals.
In this recent vote, only three Republicans supported the resolution to limit Trump’s tariffs: Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME). McConnell, who has consistently opposed tariffs, likely would have joined them had he been present. His spokesperson reiterated his belief that tariffs amount to a tax increase affecting all Americans.
Previously, McConnell and other Republicans had worked with Democrats to pass a resolution against Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. However, similar efforts to challenge the "Liberation Day" tariffs are expected to face significant hurdles in the House of Representatives. House Republican leaders have included provisions in their budget rules that prevent a vote on the national emergency underpinning the tariffs until at least October.
In a recent speech, Paul criticized the House for not allowing a vote on ending the emergency declaration, suggesting it goes against the intentions of the Founding Fathers.
The White House has threatened to veto the Senate’s resolution, arguing that it would undermine efforts to address national security and economic stability concerns tied to the U.S. trade deficit.
Despite the setback, there are ongoing efforts in Congress to limit presidential power regarding tariffs. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced a bipartisan bill that would require congressional approval for any unilateral tariffs imposed by the president within 60 days, allowing Congress to terminate such tariffs at any time.