The Senate just threw a curveball at President Donald Trump’s trade policies with a vote that’s got conservatives scratching their heads.
Newsmax reported that Senate Democrats teamed up with four Republican senators on Thursday to pass a resolution aimed at scrapping Trump’s global tariffs, a move seen as a direct challenge to the president’s economic strategy.
Earlier this year, Trump leaned on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to slap a 10% tariff on imports from around the world, claiming a national emergency over persistent U.S. trade deficits.
The GOP senators who crossed the aisle are none other than Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—a lineup that’s raised more than a few eyebrows among the MAGA faithful.
Back in April, a similar effort to ditch these tariffs hit a wall with a 49-49 tie, only to be saved by Vice President JD Vance’s deciding vote to keep them in place. Notably, McConnell and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island were absent during that nail-biter.
Fast forward to Thursday, and the joint resolution passed, declaring that Trump’s national emergency declaration from April 2 would end if this measure becomes law—a big “if,” as we’ll see.
Here’s the kicker: despite the Senate’s bold move, this resolution is likely dead on arrival in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana isn’t expected to even entertain a vote.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, a co-sponsor of the resolution, was quick to frame this as a win for the little guy. “American families are being squeezed by prices going up and up and up,” Wyden said before the vote.
But let’s pump the brakes—while Wyden’s heart might be in the right place, repealing tariffs isn’t a magic wand for inflation, especially when global supply chains and domestic policies are just as much to blame for those grocery bills.
Adding another layer to this trade saga, Trump recently dialed back tariffs on Chinese imports from a hefty 57% to 47% after hashing out a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
As part of that agreement, China committed to ramping up purchases of U.S. soybeans and continuing exports of rare earth elements for another year—a small but strategic win for American farmers and industry.
Still, while this China deal shows Trump’s willingness to negotiate, the broader 10% global tariffs remain a sticking point for critics who argue they’re a tax on American consumers more than a shield for the economy.
For many conservatives, Trump’s tariffs are a cornerstone of putting America first, a way to level the playing field against countries that have long taken advantage of lopsided trade deals.
Yet, even among the right-leaning crowd, there’s a growing murmur that these broad tariffs might be hitting American wallets harder than foreign competitors—a concern that’s not woke whining but simple math when you look at rising costs.