Four Republican senators joined Democrats on Thursday to approve a bipartisan resolution aimed at repealing former President Donald Trump’s global tariffs.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the sponsor of the resolution, was joined by Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in voting for the measure.
The resolution had previously failed in late April on a 50-49 vote, when Vice President Vance cast the tiebreaking vote against it.
Notably, McConnell and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who supported the resolution this week, had missed the earlier vote in the spring.
The one-page Senate joint resolution formally states that the national emergency declaration Trump invoked on April 2—dubbed “Liberation Day”—to authorize sweeping reciprocal tariffs worldwide would be terminated upon enactment.
While passage represents a symbolic victory for critics of Trump’s trade policies, its practical effect is limited.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is unlikely to bring the measure to a vote, and Trump is expected to veto any legislation that would limit his authority.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the lead Democratic sponsor, emphasized the economic impact of the tariffs.
He said on the Senate floor, “American families are being squeezed by prices going up and up and up. More than three-quarters of families say their monthly expenses have increased by more than $100 a month.”
McConnell also highlighted the broader economic costs.
He stated, “Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive.”
He added, “The economic harms of trade wars are not the exception to history, but the rule. And no cross-eyed reading of Reagan will reveal otherwise,” referencing Trump’s criticism of a Canadian ad that cited President Reagan to challenge Trump’s tariff policies.
Earlier this week, the Senate voted to end Trump’s steep tariffs on Canada and Brazil.
However, like the latest resolution, neither bill is expected to reach a vote in the House.
Paul, Collins, Murkowski, and McConnell voted Wednesday to end the 35 percent tariff on Canada, while the same four Republicans, plus Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), voted Tuesday to terminate the 50 percent tariff on Brazil.
