Trump declared a national emergency to hit Canada, then his own party delivered a stunning rebuke

The US House of Representatives delivered a bipartisan rebuke to the White House, voting to rescind tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Canada last year. As reported by The Guardian, the move marked a rare moment of congressional pushback against the president’s trade policy.

The resolution sought to disapprove of the national emergency that President Trump declared to justify the tariffs. It passed 219 to 211, with six Republicans joining Democrats in support and only one Democrat voting against it.

Don Bacon of Nebraska, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Kevin Kiley of California, Dan Newhouse of Washington, and Jeff Hurd of Colorado voted in favor of the measure. Jared Golden of Maine was the lone Democrat to oppose it.

A rare bipartisan break over Trump’s tariff strategy

Before the vote was finalized, President Trump publicly warned Republicans not to defect. On Truth Social, he wrote that any Republican who voted against tariffs would “seriously suffer the consequences come Election time,” including in primaries.

The president has consistently defended tariffs as leverage against trading partners and has argued that Canada has taken advantage of the United States on trade. He recently threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Canadian imports, escalating tensions with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

While the House vote sends a political message, it is largely symbolic because any repeal would require the president’s signature. The Senate has previously voted to reject President Trump’s tariffs on Canada and other countries, signaling bipartisan unease with the policy.

Lawmakers have pointed to concerns from businesses and constituents facing higher prices tied to the trade dispute. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the tariffs are “causing prices to skyrocket and creating unnecessary uncertainty for American families,” as separate floor clashes like a Virginia redistricting map dispute, have also intensified partisan tensions.

The administration argued the tariffs were justified because illicit drug flows from Canada constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat. That designation allowed the president to impose tariffs outside the terms of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

Not all Republicans supported the resolution. Brian Mast of Florida, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the fentanyl crisis is a national emergency and framed the vote as Democrats “trying to ignore that there is a fentanyl crisis,” as another tariff vote’s defeat kept the issue at the center of the House agenda.

House Speaker Mike Johnson attempted to delay the vote through a rules change and urged lawmakers to wait for a pending Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the tariffs. That effort collapsed when Republicans broke ranks during a procedural vote, allowing the measure to advance.

Even if the resolution does not become law, the 219 to 211 vote underscored divisions within the House over the president’s trade agenda.