U.S. Senate passes resolution against justification for Canadian tariffs
A resolution that challenges United States President Donald Trump’s national security justification for tariffs against Canada, passed in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday evening with bipartisan support.
“The act that the president has used to declare an emergency to impose tariffs is an act that was designed to be used against adversaries,” said Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, during remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate chamber on Wednesday. “I stand here strongly in the belief that Canada is not an adversary, they’re an ally.”
On Feb. 1, Trump justified 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods and 10 per cent tariffs on Canadian energy, based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which authorizes the president to regulate imports during a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act. The White House’s rationale was that the flow of fentanyl crossing the Canadian border met that threshold.
During the 2024 fiscal year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 43 pounds of fentanyl in the Northern border area compared to 21,900 pounds at all U.S. border areas.
Kaine, who is from Virginia, said on Tuesday the resolution aims to “turn off” the Canadian border emergency declared by Trump which he calls “made-up.” The resolution is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky.
The final vote tally for the resolution came in at 51 yeas and 48 nays, with secured votes from all Democratic senators and three additional Republican senators, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins from Maine, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell from Kentucky and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska.
Collins has previously expressed her concern over tariffs, pointing to the
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