House Republicans vote to rescind Trump's Canada tariffs in rebuke
A GOP revolt dealt a setback for Speaker Mike Johnson's effort to block it.
The GOP-led House on Wednesday evening passed a resolution to rescind President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada -- delivering a major rebuke of the president’s trade policy.
Six Republicans joined nearly all Democrats to help pass the measure by a vote of 219-211.
The Republicans included Reps. Don Bacon, Brian Fitzpatrick, Dan Newhouse, Jeff Hurd, Thomas Massie and Kevin Kiley. Rep. Jared Golden was the only Democrat to vote no.
The bill now heads to the Senate where its fate is uncertain.
Trump said in a social media post Wednesday night that any Republicans who voted to rescind tariffs that he’s implemented will face consequences, including potential primaries.
"Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries," Trump warned.
House passage comes after another embarrassing defeat Tuesday night for Speaker Mike Johnson at the hands of three rebellious Republicans who voted to go forward with Wednesday's vote despite Johnson's longstanding effort to block the House from considering the tariff issue.
The legislation, led by the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, forced House lawmakers to go on the record for the first time on Trump’s tariffs and trade policy.
The measure would end the emergency declaration Trump used to justify his Canada tariffs. Additional votes are possible in the near future to block tariffs imposed by the president against several other countries, including Mexico.
Even though the tariff vote has cleared the House, Trump is likely to veto the measure -- if the Senate follows suit.
Johnson argued on Fox Business Wednesday morning that Congress should not be getting in the way of Trump’s tariffs.
"I think it's a big mistake. I don't think we need to go down the road of trying to limit the president's power while he is in the midst of negotiating America first trade agreements," Johnson said, adding that tariffs have "done great for the economy."
He pointed to the tariff case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court -- arguing that Congress should allow that process to play out.
House Republican leaders have fought for a year to block such a tariff vote from hitting the House floor, but the failed vote Tuesday night opened the door to full House votes on overturning the president’s tariffs.
Three Republicans -- Reps. Kevin Kiley, Don Bacon and Thomas Massie -- bucked their own party to defeat the procedural effort that narrowly failed by a vote of 214-217.
Bacon posted on X Wednesday, "Congress has Article One Constitutional responsibilities on tariffs. We cannot & should not outsource our responsibilities. As an old fashioned Conservative I know tariffs are a tax on American consumers. I know some disagree. But this debate and vote should occur in the House."
The measure heads back to the Senate where last October lawmakers voted on similar resolutions to cancel some of Trump’s tariffs.
At the time, some Senate Republicans joined Democrats to rebuke the president’s trade policy.
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