A group of Republican senators voted with Democrats on Wednesday for a resolution to cancel Trump's 25% tariff on Canadian imports, taking an embarrassing blow.
The resolution expresses the Senate sense and does not have the power of the law, but its passing of 51-48 is unwelcome news for the president on the very day he announced many new tariffs.
Four Republicans — Rand Paul sen (Kentucky), Susan Collins (Mayne), Lisa Markowski (Alaska) and Mitch McConnell (KY.) — voted for the measure.
They voted to express their disapproval of Trump's tariffs in Canada just hours after the president announced he would impose 10% tariffs on all imports and collect even higher rates on imports from the European Union, China, Vietnam and Japan.
Senate majority leader John Tune (Rs.D.) urged his Republican colleagues to vote against the resolution and advised them that embarrassing Trump is a political gambit by Democrats.
Thune argued Wednesday afternoon that tariffs on Canada were the leverage needed to encourage Canadian authorities to crack down on drug smuggling across the north border.
“I urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution and ensure that President Trump has the tools he needs to fight the flow of fentanyl from all directions,” he said.
He argued that the fentanyl crisis guarantees a “active response.”
Democrats have organized the resolution as a plea to stop the escalation of the trade war with Canada, one of the country's biggest trading partners.
They said Trump's Canadian tariffs will affect an estimated 6.5 million jobs nationwide.
Trump took a shot on his side with Sen. Tim Kane (D-Va.) to sponsor the resolution.
“Senator Tim Kane, who ran alongside Hillary who was bent in 2016, is trying to stop the serious tariffs on deadly fentanyl coming from Canada. We're making progress to end this horrifying fentanyl crisis, but Senate Republicans can finish their work as they have to vote to maintain a national emergency.
He also targeted four Republicans hours before the vote.
“I hope Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Markovsky of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky will ride the Republican bandwagon and fight the Democrats' wild and exaggerated push for change. It's costly to distribute and buy,” Trump posted.
Trump has imposed a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports.
Collins is an outspoken critic of Trump's 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, and last month warned that it would have a “devastating” effect on some businesses in her state.
On the Senate floor on Wednesday, Collins noted that “the main economy is integrated with Canada, our most important trading partner.”
From home heating oil, gasoline, jet fuel and other sophisticated petroleum products to Maine's paper mills, forest products businesses, farmers and Robstalmen, Canada's tariffs will be harmful to many Maine and the local economy,” she said.
“Canadian tariffs will undoubtedly have a detrimental effect on Maine's economy and especially the border community,” she told Hill last month. “For example, there are major paper mills in northern Maine, on the border where we got pulp from Canada.
“Its factory alone, the largest employer in the region, has 510 people employed directly. I spoke to the owner of that factory. The 25% tariff levies can be devastating,” she warned.
Conservative Paul, leaning towards libertarians, was the loudest critic at the Senate GOP meeting of Trump's trade war with Canada and Mexico. He is the co-sponsor of the resolution.
“I have all the major industries in Kentucky against them: freight shippers, farmers, bourbon manufacturers, home builders, home sellers – you'll name it – fence makers,” Paul told Hill last month.
He also said the tariffs are being put to an end in Congress.
“Trade is good. Tariffs are economically bad because trade is proportional to prosperity,” he told reporters Tuesday. “Running a country in an emergency is a scary idea for representatives who vote to raise or lower taxes to run the country in an emergency.”
Paul said tariffs were “bad for the country, bad for prosperity, bad for the economy.”
“Our constitution was very specific about taxes (the tariffs are taxes) coming from the House and coming to the Senate and going to the President,” he said. “They don't just go to the president, they're not going to anyone else. If all our taxes and laws are handed over by themselves, what kind of system would it be?”
Speaking at a recent press conference in Kentucky, McConnell noted that Canadian authorities are already pulling Kentucky bourbon out of store shelves.
“I'm not a fan of tariffs,” he said. “There are 70,000 farmers in Kentucky who basically make money from trade and export it. So I think the long-term trade war is a mistake.”
Senate Republican leaders who opposed the resolution said they could not vote in the Republican-controlled House. They predicted it would never go to Trump's desk.
“We are accused of the Senate GOP Leadership Team,” said Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas).
The S&P 500 fell in trade on Wednesday after Trump announced 10% of tariffs and mutual tariffs targeting Europe, China, Vietnam and Japan.
