U.S. Senate votes to overturn Trump’s tariffs on Canada as Republicans split with President

In a rare bipartisan move, the U.S. Senate voted 50–46 on Wednesday to nullify President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, exposing growing divisions within the Republican Party over trade policy.

The vote marked the latest attempt by lawmakers to end national emergencies Trump has used to justify tariffs on several countries. Four Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, and Rand Paul— broke ranks to join Democrats in supporting the resolution.

The measure, introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, seeks to roll back Trump’s emergency powers used to impose trade barriers. Kaine said rising prices and economic strain caused by tariffs would ultimately make Republican loyalty to Trump “untenable.”

Although the resolution is unlikely to take effect — with House Republicans expected to block it and Trump able to issue a veto — the vote highlights fractures within the GOP. It follows similar votes earlier in the week targeting tariffs on Brazil and previous efforts regarding Canada.

As the Senate debated, Trump was in Asia pursuing new trade deals, while tensions with Canada continued to escalate. The president recently threatened an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian imports, reportedly in response to a television ad from Ontario criticizing U.S. trade policies using quotes from Ronald Reagan.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo urged lawmakers to “stay out of the way” as Trump reshaped global trade, but others expressed alarm over the fallout. Sen. Mitch McConnell cited the devastating effect of retaliatory tariffs on Kentucky’s 70,000 family farms, warning that bourbon and other exports had been “caught in the crossfire.”

Despite Vice-President JD Vance’s lobbying for party unity, many Republicans remained defiant, citing
the toll tariffs have taken on agriculture, manufacturing, and consumers. The trade rift comes amid strained negotiations between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump to ease import taxes. The U.S.-Canada economic relationship — worth US$909.1 billion in 2024 — remains one of the largest in the world, with nearly C$3.6 billion in goods and services crossing the border daily.

Trump’s tariffs were justified under a national emergency declaration, claiming fentanyl smuggling from Canada as a security threat — despite official data showing less than one per cent of fentanyl seizures occur along the northern border. Sen. Kaine criticized the move as driven by personal grievances rather than policy.