The U.S. Senate voted thrice this week on resolutions seeking to block President Donald Trump’s tariffs. All three resolutions passed because a handful of Republican senators joined forces with their Democratic colleagues.
Invoking his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, Trump declared a national emergency on April 2 — which he dubbed “Liberation Day” — and announced that he was imposing a 10% tariff on most imports to the U.S. and additional duties on select trading partners.
‘It’s about Congress reasserting our authority.’
The protectionist course charted by the White House ruffled feathers in both parties, especially those of liberals committed to untrammeled free trade.
When trying unsuccessfully to kill Trump’s tariffs earlier this year, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul wrote, “The Constitution clearly states that Congress, not the president, has the power of the purse. All new taxes (which is what a tariff is) are supposed to originate in the House of Representatives before going to the Senate for approval.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments next month regarding the legality of the tariffs imposed by Trump under the IEEPA. Just in case the ruling doesn’t go their way, liberals in Congress’ upper house apparently want to exhaust all other avenues.
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On Tuesday, the Senate voted on whether to axe Trump’s 50% tariffs on imports from Brazil. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina helped Democrats pass Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D) resolution in a 52-48 vote.
“Protectionists eagerly celebrate the revenue from tariff duties. But they don’t talk nearly as much about how much of that revenue they’ll spend protecting American growers and producers from the avoidable harm of their policies,” McConnell stated on Tuesday. “Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive. The economic harms of trade wars are not the exception to history, but the rule.”
On Wednesday, the Senate voted on whether to axe Trump’s tariffs on imports from Canada. While this time around Tillis voted no, Collins, McConnell, Murkowski, and Paul helped Democrats once again pass their resolution.
On Thursday, the Senate voted on whether to end the national emergency the president used to impose global tariffs. The same four Republicans joined forces with Democrats to pass Sen. Ron Wyden’s (D-Ore.) resolution in a 51-47 vote.
Murkowski said in a statement, “This series of votes isn’t just about registering the Senate’s disapproval of the President’s emergency declaration on tariffs — it’s about Congress reasserting our authority as a co-equal branch of government with defined powers and responsibilities.”
Although all three resolutions will now be sent to the House for consideration, they appear to be wasted ink and paper, as Republican House leaders have effectively blocked votes challenging Trump’s tariffs until March 2026, and even then, Trump could veto them.
Blaze News has reached out to the White House for comment.
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