House Votes 219-211 to End Trump’s Emergency Tariffs on Canada

The House voted 219-211 on Wednesday to end President Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on Canada, a rare rebuke from members of his own party, according to CBS News, NBC News and Al Jazeera. Six Republicans voted with Democrats: Reps. Dan Newhouse of Washington, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Kevin Kiley of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Don Bacon of Nebraska, CBS News, NBC News and TIME reported. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the only Democrat to vote no.

The measure was written by Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat. Meeks asked colleagues whether they would vote to lower the cost of living for American families or keep prices high out of loyalty to the president, CBS News and Al Jazeera reported. Trump imposed the Canada tariffs last year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after declaring a national emergency, NBC News reported.

The path to the vote opened a day earlier. On Tuesday, Kiley, Massie and Bacon voted against a procedural measure that would have barred votes on ending Trump’s emergency declarations until late July, CBS News, NBC News and TIME reported. A similar ban had expired at the end of January.

Speaker Mike Johnson said he was disappointed but that the vote would not change policy, because Trump can veto the resolution and Congress lacks the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. NBC News and TIME reported that he called the exercise “fruitless.” Johnson had urged his caucus to wait for the Supreme Court, according to Al Jazeera and CBS News. The court is weighing the legality of Trump’s broad emergency tariffs after he lost in lower courts, Al Jazeera and TIME reported, and no ruling has been issued.

Republicans who broke ranks cited the Constitution. Bacon argued that Congress must be able to debate tariffs, noting that Article I gives it authority over taxes and tariffs, NBC News reported, and told colleagues Congress should defend its own authority, according to Al Jazeera.

Trump warned on social media that any Republican who votes against his tariffs “will seriously suffer the consequences” at election time, including in primaries, according to CBS News, NBC News, TIME and Al Jazeera. The resolution now goes to the Senate, which voted twice last year to block tariffs with four Republicans joining Democrats, CBS News and TIME reported.

The vote came two days after Trump threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, until the United States is “fully compensated,” France 24 and CBS News Detroit reported. NBC News and France 24 noted that Washington has threatened a 100 percent tariff on Canadian goods if Canada goes ahead with a trade deal with China.