The U.S. House of Representatives has introduced a bill to repeal President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, a move that signals a growing desire within the Republican Party to break with the Trump administration.
In Wednesday’s vote, several Republicans crossed party lines to vote for Democrats.
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At the final count, there were 219 votes in favor of halting President Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on Canada. A minority of 211 members voted against the bill.
This was an unprecedented rebuke from the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a majority of 218 seats.
Before the vote, Democrats appealed to their Republican colleagues to defy President Trump, who has come to dominate the party.
“The vote today is simple, very simple: Do you vote to lower the cost of living for American families, or do you vote to keep prices high out of loyalty to one person: Donald J. Trump?” said Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, who authored the resolution.
The vote comes as the United States enters a critical midterm election season. The primary election begins in March and the general election is held in November.
All members of the House of Representatives will vote in their respective districts.
Faced with President Trump’s declining approval ratings, Republican lawmakers face an unpleasant choice: oppose his unpopular policies or remain steadfast despite a potential backlash at the ballot box.
Meanwhile, President Trump threatened to derail the election prospects of Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of Wednesday’s bill.
“Republicans who vote against tariffs in both the House and Senate will be severely impacted during election season, including in the primaries,” Trump wrote on social media ahead of the vote.
He also accused Canada, one of the United States’ largest trading partners and closest allies, of mistreating its southern neighbor.
In his second post, President Trump said, “Canada has been using the United States for trade for many years.”
“They are one of the worst countries in the world to deal with, especially when it comes to our northern border. Tariffs give us a win, easy. Republicans must keep it!”
Wednesday’s bill now heads to the U.S. Senate and is likely to pass.
Congress has already passed similar legislation aimed at cutting President Trump’s tariffs on Canada, first in April and then in October.
However, this bill is unlikely to become law. President Trump is poised to veto the bill even if it passes the Senate.
Congress requires a two-thirds majority in each chamber to overcome a presidential veto. That would require a far greater defection from the Republican Party than what happened in Wednesday’s vote.
Still, polls show that Trump’s tariffs are largely unpopular with voters, who blame him for contributing to rising prices for many goods.
For example, on February 4, the Pew Research Center found that 60 percent of respondents did not support President Trump’s tariff increases. Only 37% said they supported it.
Democrats hope growing dissatisfaction, along with anger over President Trump’s aggressive mass deportations, will help end Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress.
The Supreme Court is also currently considering the legality of President Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs after the president faced defeat in lower court rulings.
Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson had urged the Republican caucus to hold off on voting until the high court ruled.
But six Republicans, including Thomas Massey of Kentucky, Don Bacon of Nebraska, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, defied him to help bring the bill to a vote.
“Why doesn’t Congress stand on its own two feet and say we’re an independent branch?” said Rep. Bacon. “We must uphold our authority. I hope the Supreme Court will do that, but if it doesn’t, shame on us.”
