Washington, D.C. [US], October 29 (ANI): The US Senate voted 52 to 48 to block President Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods, rejecting the national emergency declaration he used to justify the measure in July, Politico reported.
According to Politico, Tuesday’s vote saw five Republican senators—Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Rand Paul of Kentucky—join Democrats in supporting the resolution.
The vote is part of a broader effort in Congress to challenge Trump’s recent tariffs on Brazil, Canada, and other nations. Lawmakers have voiced growing concern about the economic toll of the President’s trade policies on US farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses.
Senator Rand Paul, a leading Republican critic of the tariffs, said, “Emergencies are like war, famine, [and] tornadoes. Not liking someone’s tariffs is not an emergency. It’s an abuse of emergency power and it’s Congress abdicating their traditional role in taxes,” as quoted by Politico.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, who co-sponsored similar resolutions against tariffs on Canada and other countries, said lawmakers are facing mounting frustration from constituents over rising prices and economic hardship caused by the trade measures.
“Republican senators go home and they just feel like they’re getting hit by a trade wrecking ball,” Wyden said. “People come up and say, ‘The tariffs are killing us.’ You go to the grocery store, and everybody’s up in arms,” he added.
In July, Trump announced the 50 percent tariff on Brazilian exports, citing Brazil’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro—a Trump ally—over his alleged role in attempting to overturn the 2022 election. He also cited Brazil’s digital content policies affecting US social media firms. The national emergency declaration described Brazil’s actions as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security, foreign policy, and economic interests.
Several lawmakers, including Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, criticized Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs, warning that it sets a dangerous precedent.
“Don’t lie and say there’s an energy emergency when there isn’t. Don’t lie and say Brazil’s prosecution of a president is an emergency when it’s not. Don’t use the lie to increase the price of coffee by 40 percent in a year. Don’t use the lie to punish a country with whom we have a trade surplus. Don’t lie and don’t hurt my citizens,” Kaine said, as quoted by Politico.
While the Senate’s action underscores strong bipartisan opposition to the tariffs, the resolution remains largely symbolic. House Republican leaders have delayed a vote on overturning the measure until March, shielding members from potential backlash from farmers and business groups in their districts, Politico reported.
Meanwhile, next week, the US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on whether Trump exceeded his authority by invoking emergency powers to impose tariffs globally. (ANI)
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