In an extraordinary change of political will, the U.S. Senate has gone far beyond that. They voted to end the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on more than 100 countries. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 51-47. Significantly, four Republican senators broke ranks with their party’s leadership and sided with Democrats to oppose the tariffs, demonstrating the cracks developing within the GOP on Trump’s trade agenda.
At this moment, Trump is concluding a week-long junket to Asia. On this trip, he was able to win a commitment from China to lower tariffs on Chinese made goods that have been or will be imported into the United States. As part of this agreement, China has pledged to buy more U.S. soybeans. This change is intended to provide some relief to U.S. farmers who have been hit hard by the administration’s ongoing trade wars.
Though largely ceremonial, the resolution does call out the tariffs that Trump imposed by executive order. Senate Republicans claim that this approach usurped congressional power. This is particularly notable legislative action, because it marks the third time this week that Republican senators have joined with Democrats. So far, they’ve taken on tariff resolutions related to Brazil and Canada.
Republican senators Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, and Lisa Murkowski voted against Trump’s approach, signaling a potential shift in the party’s stance. As Trump got deeper into his second term, dissent against him became historically even less common among Republicans.
Senator Tim Kaine called this noteworthy bipartisan vote the kind of thing that should stop Trump in his tracks. He stated, “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 behavior.”
This resolution strongly rebukes these harmful tariffs. Beyond that, it directly contests Trump’s power to unilaterally impose these restrictions without going through Congress. We know the political environment is always shifting. What remains to be seen is how this internal dissent will impact the direction of Trump’s policies and appointments.