US Senate votes to scrap Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs, exposing Republican divide

Senate rebukes Trump tariffs

The US Senate on Thursday voted to overturn President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs on more than 100 countries, in a rare show of bipartisan defiance against the White House’s trade policy.

According to The Guardian, four Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined Democrats to pass a resolution 51–47, ending the base-level tariffs introduced by Trump via executive order. This is the third time this week Republicans have sided with Democrats against tariff measures, following similar votes on tariffs targeting Brazil and Canada.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, said: “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.”

Senator Ron Wyden, the lead Democratic sponsor of the resolution, argued that Trump’s tariffs have driven up living costs. “American families are being squeezed by prices going up and up and up. More than three-quarters of families say their monthly expenses have increased by more than $100 a month,” he said on the Senate floor.

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, whose state shares a border with Canada, reiterated her long-standing concern that tariffs could damage local industries. “The Maine economy is integrated with Canada, our most important trading partner,” she said, warning that tariffs on petroleum, paper mills, forest products, and fisheries would “be detrimental to many Maine families and local economies.”

However, despite the Senate’s vote, The Guardian reported that the House is unlikely to act, as Republicans established a rule earlier this year blocking tariff-related resolutions from reaching a floor vote.

According to The Hill, a similar proposal failed in April by a 50–49 margin after Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote. The latest vote comes as President Trump concluded his Asia trip, where he secured a deal with China to reduce tariffs on Chinese imports and increase Chinese purchases of US soybeans.