Senate rejects resolution to block Trump's tariffs amid economic turmoil

Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Donald Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.

Trump announced the far-reaching tariffs on nearly all US trading partners April 2 and then reversed himself a few days later after a market meltdown, suspending the import taxes for 90 days. Amid the uncertainty for both US consumers and businesses, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the US economy shrank 0.3 per cent from January through March, the first drop in three years.

The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate approved a resolution that would have have thwarted Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada. That measure passed 51-48 with the votes of four Republicans Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky. But McConnell who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said how he would vote and Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse were absent Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.

Democrats said their primary aim was to put Republicans on the record either way and to try to reassert congressional powers.

The Senate cannot be an idle spectator in the tariff madness, said Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, a lead sponsor of the resolution.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the dismal economic numbers should be a wakeup call to Republicans.

Wary of a rebuke to Trump, GOP leaders encouraged their conference not to vote for the resolution, even as many of them remain unconvinced about the tariffs. Vice President JD Vance attended a Senate GOP luncheon Tuesday with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who assured senators that the administration is making progress toward trade deals with individual countries.

Collins said ahead of the vote that she believes the Democratic resolution is too broad, but she was supporting it because it sends a message that we really need to be far more discriminatory in imposing these tariffs and not treat allies like Canada the way we treat adversaries like China.

But some Republicans argued that the vote was a political stunt. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said he backs separate legislation by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley that would give Congress increased power over determining tariffs but would vote no on the resolution, which he said is only about making a point.

Democrats say the Republicans' failure to stand up to Trump could have dire consequences. The only thing Donald Trump's tariffs have succeeded in is raising the odds of recession and sending markets into a tailspin, said Schumer, D-N.Y. Today, they have to choose stick with Trump or stand with your states.

The Democratic resolution forced a vote under a statute that allows them to try to terminate the national economic emergency Trump used to levy the tariffs.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren called it a fake emergency that Trump is using to impose his on again, off again, red light, green light tariffs.

The tariffs are pushing our economy off a cliff, Warren said.

The Republican president has tried to reassure voters that his tariffs will not provoke a recession as his administration has focused on China, raising tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 per cent even as he paused the others. He told his Cabinet Wednesday morning that his tariffs meant China was having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business.

Trump said the US does not really need imports from the world's dominant manufacturer. Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, he said. So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.