Bipartisan push tests Republican support for administration's trade policies
U.S. lawmakers are preparing to vote on a resolution that could revoke former President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to justify tariffs on Canadian imports—marking a significant test of executive authority over trade policy, as reported by Financial Post.
Introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, the resolution targets Trump’s February declaration of a national emergency at the northern border. That declaration enabled the former president to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods and a 10% tariff on Canadian energy products under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
“The president has justified the imposition of these tariffs on, in my view, a made-up emergency. “The emergency is being invented to do the tariffs, to do the taxes on everyday Americans. Why? So, they can use the tariff revenue to give a tax cut to billionaires,” Kaine told reporters in Washington.
Trump’s justification for the emergency hinges on the cross-border flow of fentanyl. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 43 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the northern border in fiscal year 2024, compared to 21,900 pounds seized nationwide.
Kaine said the resolution is intended to “turn off” the emergency declaration and could be brought to a vote as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. It is co-sponsored by Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
To succeed, the measure needs support from all Democratic senators and at least four Republicans.
Some Republican lawmakers, including Senators Charles Grassley of Iowa, Jerry Moran of Kansas, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, have previously voiced concern over tariffs and their impact on constituents, but it remains unclear how they will vote.
Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, urged Republican colleagues to publicly take a stance: “We’re asking four Republican senators to actually go on record what they have all said privately.”
On Tuesday, Trump urged Senate Republicans to vote against the resolution.
“We are making progress to end this terrible fentanyl crisis, but Republicans in the Senate MUST vote to keep the national emergency in place, so we can finish the job, and end the scourge,” he wrote in a social media post.
If passed by the Senate, the resolution would advance to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Trump would still have the power to veto it, but Kaine noted that bipartisan backing could pressure the White House to reconsider its strategy.
Trump is also expected to announce a new round of reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday aimed at countering what he describes as unfair trade practices. Canada and several other countries have indicated they may retaliate with their own measures.
