WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate on Thursday rebuked former President Donald Trump‘s trade policies, voting 51-47 to overturn a set of “reciprocal” tariffs impacting over 100 nations. The resolution seeks to eliminate base-level tariffs initially enacted through executive order during Trump’s presidency.
This action marks the third time this week that Republican senators have aligned with Democrats to challenge Trump-era tariffs, following previous votes to end tariffs on goods from Brazil and canada. The bipartisan opposition, while largely symbolic given the current political landscape, underscores growing congressional concern over the use of tariffs as a primary trade tool.Four Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – joined all Democratic senators in supporting the measure.the vote occurred as Trump concluded a trip to Asia where he reached an agreement with China to reduce tariffs on chinese imports and secure commitments for increased purchases of U.S. soybeans.
Despite the Senate’s action, the resolution faces an uphill battle in the House of representatives, where Republican rules prevent tariff-related resolutions from reaching a vote.
The move is largely seen as a challenge to Trump’s authority and a rejection of his practice of bypassing Congress on trade matters. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) stated to reporters, “I did learn in the first Trump term that the president is responsive to things like this. When he sees Republicans starting to vote against his policies,even in small numbers,that makes an impression on him and can often cause him to alter his behaviour.”
The tariffs in question were implemented under the premise of reciprocal trade, aiming to address perceived imbalances in tariffs imposed by other countries on U.S. goods. However, critics argued they harmed american businesses and consumers without achieving important trade concessions.
