House Votes to Terminate Trump-Era Tariffs on Canada
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a resolution aimed at terminating tariffs imposed by the former Trump administration on Canada. The vote, which took place on Wednesday, saw a bipartisan alignment of six Republicans with most Democrats, following a procedural vote the previous day that enabled the measure to advance. The resolution will now proceed to the Senate.
House Approves Resolution to End Tariffs
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to disapprove of the national emergency declared by former President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on goods from Canada. The resolution passed with a vote of 219 to 211.
Six Republican representatives—Don Bacon of Nebraska, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Kevin Kiley of California, Dan Newhouse of Washington, and Jeff Hurd of Colorado—voted with the majority of Democrats in favor of the resolution. One Democrat, Jared Golden of Maine, voted against it.
Procedural Vote Paved the Way
This vote followed a procedural motion on Tuesday that failed to pass. That procedural motion had included language designed to prevent challenges to former President Trump's tariffs until July. The failure of this initial vote, with three Republicans (Thomas Massie, Don Bacon, and Kevin Kiley) voting with Democrats, allowed the resolution to terminate the tariffs to be brought to the floor for a full vote.
Speaker Johnson Acknowledges Challenges
House Speaker Mike Johnson, operating with a narrow Republican majority, had attempted to delay the vote and proposed waiting for a Supreme Court ruling on the tariffs' legality. Following the procedural setback, Speaker Johnson acknowledged the challenges of his party's slim majority.
"This is life with a small majority. I mean, you know, I need unanimity every day, and we didn't get it tonight."
He also stated that the "vast majority" of House Republicans support the former president's trade policy and intend to grant him "latitude to continue his trade policy."
Former President Trump Issues Warnings
Ahead of the vote, former President Donald Trump issued warnings on Truth Social, stating that any Republican voting against tariffs would face electoral consequences.
Tariffs contribute to economic and national security benefits, and "no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege."
Undoing the tariff policy would ultimately require presidential approval, which is considered unlikely by observers.
Basis for Tariffs and Resolution
The Trump administration had cited the flow of illicit drugs from Canada as an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to justify the imposition of tariffs on imported goods outside of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. The resolution to terminate this national emergency was sponsored by Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Lawmakers Weigh In
Disagreement over the tariffs has been evident across both parties:
- Representative Don Bacon stated that Congress should be able to debate tariffs and assert its authority, citing Article I of the Constitution. He described tariffs as a "net negative" for the economy, acting as a "significant tax" on American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries commented that the tariffs were "causing prices to skyrocket and creating unnecessary uncertainty for American families." Following the resolution's approval, he stated, "Today, House Democrats forced a successful vote to detonate the Trump tariffs on Canada."
- Representative Brian Mast, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that the fentanyl crisis from Canada constitutes a "dire national emergency" and that the tariff policy should remain. Experts suggest that while fentanyl is smuggled from Canada, the majority of it originates from Mexico.
- Other Republican lawmakers, including Representatives Keith Self and Darrell Issa, affirmed their support for the former president's trade policies.
Resolution Moves to Senate
The resolution will now proceed to the Senate for consideration. The Senate has previously passed at least three resolutions opposing tariffs imposed by the former Trump administration, including those on Canada and other countries.