The Blubber

Just hours after President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping new tariffs on nearly all imports into the U.S., a bipartisan group of senators made the first move to challenge what many view as one of the most misguided elements of his global trade war.

In a 51–48 vote, the Senate passed a resolution to overturn Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports—tariffs that had been enacted under the pretext of an economic emergency declared by the president in early February. The resolution, co-sponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D–Va.) and Rand Paul (R–Ky.), now heads to the House, where its fate remains uncertain under Republican leadership. Even if it passes there, it's likely to be vetoed by Trump. Still, the vote marks the first meaningful effort by Congress to rein in the president’s increasingly aggressive trade policy.

Paul was joined by fellow Republicans Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.), Susan Collins (R–Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R–Alaska), along with nearly all Senate Democrats, in voting to end the emergency declaration.

Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, Paul laid out a clear case against picking a trade fight with one of America’s closest partners.

“We’re not at war with Canada,” Paul said. “They’re an ally that buys more of our stuff than almost any other country in the world.”

Indeed, the idea that the $400 billion in goods imported from Canada last year poses any kind of national emergency is hard to take seriously. Suggesting that slapping tariffs on those goods would improve the situation only adds to the absurdity. Higher taxes on Canadian imports won’t make life better for Americans or Canadians.

The resolution’s passage came despite sharp criticism from Trump, who lashed out on social media the night before, accusing Kaine of trying to block what he called “our critical Tariffs on deadly Fentanyl.”

Paul dismissed the argument in his floor speech, mocking the notion that drug traffickers would somehow be discouraged by customs tariffs. He also emphasized the broader economic harm tariffs are expected to cause—pointing to the ripple effects on consumers, small businesses, manufacturers, and farmers.

He noted that the Trump administration had previously bailed out farmers after the 2018 tariff hikes, calling it “an acknowledgement” that Americans—not foreign governments—ultimately bear the cost.

“Are we going to have to bail out the car companies too? Are we going to have to bail out everybody who’s going to be hurt by these tariffs? It’s not a good idea,” Paul said. “Despite arguments to the contrary, Americans know tariffs are a tax they are going to have to pay.”