'A powerful message': Va. senators celebrate passage of their bill to block Canada tariffs
- The Senate passed a bipartisan resolution to overturn President Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods.
- The resolution, sponsored by Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, passed with a 51-48 vote, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in support.
- The resolution faces an uncertain future in the House of Representatives, where support for Trump's policies has been stronger.
- Democrats in the House have vowed to pressure their Republican colleagues to take up the legislation.
Hours after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on sales to all U.S. trading partners, the Senate adopted legislation co-sponsored by Virginia’s two senators that would undo Trump’s previously enacted tariffs on Canadian goods.
Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, praised the bipartisan support their resolution received. Four Republicans joined the chamber's 47 Democrats to pass the legislation, 51-48. While it still faces an uncertain future. They called Trump's proposed 25% levy on Canadian imports "nonsensical" and showed that a president cannot short-circuit Capitol Hill in imposing tariffs.
“We sent a powerful message with this vote: we will not stand idly by while President Trump launches a needless trade war with Canada that will raise costs for families, hurt American businesses, and damage our relationship with one of our closest trading partners and allies," read a joint statement from Kaine, Warner and fellow chief patron Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. "We thank our colleagues on both sides of the aisle who voted against Trump’s deranged mission to bypass Congress to enact these new taxes."
Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska sided with the Democrats on the vote. All have been known to break with Trump in the past.
The resolution now moves over to the House of Representatives where support for the president's policies has been more unified and it faces a tougher road. In their statement, Kaine, Warner and Klobuchar vowed to "do all that we can to build pressure on our colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to take up this legislation."
Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee have vowed to push their GOP colleagues on the measure, posting on X, formerly Twitter, that "it's time they show whether they support the economic pain Trump is inflicting on their constituents."
Even if the House agrees and sends it to the White House, Trump is expected to veto it.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.