(CBSN) – The Senate approved a measure on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, aimed at blocking tariffs on Canadian imports, with a small group of Republicans joining Democrats in opposition to President Trump’s trade policy.
In a 51-48 vote, four Republican senators sided with all Democrats to support the resolution. However, the House is unlikely to take up the measure, making the vote largely symbolic.
Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), and Rand Paul (Kentucky) joined Democrats in backing the resolution, which was introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.). The measure seeks to terminate the national emergency declaration that the president has used to justify the tariffs. Kaine forced the vote under the National Emergencies Act, bypassing Senate Republican leadership.
President Trump initially threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico in January, citing the need to enhance border security and combat fentanyl smuggling. However, after two delays, he announced Wednesday that he would impose “reciprocal tariffs” on about 60 nations, while exempting Canada and Mexico. Despite this exemption, Canada and Mexico remain subject to separate tariffs on aluminum, steel, and vehicle imports, which took effect in February, with further restrictions on vehicle imports set to begin Thursday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clarified in a Fox News interview that goods covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) would remain exempt from tariffs for now.
Senator Kaine criticized the tariffs as harmful to American consumers, calling them “attacks on everyday people.” He argued that while fentanyl trafficking is a legitimate crisis, it is not primarily linked to Canada. Kaine warned that the tariffs would drive up prices on essential goods, including groceries, building materials, and shipbuilding supplies, potentially impacting U.S. national security.
With 47 Democrats and independents in the Senate, at least four Republican votes were needed for the resolution to pass. In the lead-up to the vote, President Trump pressured Senate Republicans to oppose the measure, warning that rejecting the national emergency would undermine efforts to secure the border.
“Republicans in the Senate MUST vote to keep the National Emergency in place, so we can finish the job and end the scourge,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He also singled out McConnell, Collins, Murkowski, and Paul, urging them to “get on the Republican bandwagon for a change” and calling the resolution a Democratic ploy to “expose the weakness of certain Republicans.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune echoed Trump’s concerns, warning that ending the emergency declaration could hinder efforts to combat fentanyl smuggling. “We would be wrong to view this as solely a southern border problem,” Thune said, arguing that drug cartels could shift operations to the northern border.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged Republicans to support the resolution, calling the tariffs “a tax increase on American families, plain and simple.” He accused Trump of being “very worried” about losing the Senate vote and pressuring Republicans to fall in line.
“He knows they might lose here in the Senate,” Schumer said.
Despite the resolution’s passage in the Senate, its prospects in the House remain slim, leaving the future of the Canada tariffs uncertain.
