Six House Republicans defied President Donald Trump on Wednesday by joining Democrats to pass a resolution aimed at repealing tariffs on Canada imposed under the National Emergencies Act. The move represented a rare break from party discipline, coming despite warnings from Trump that dissenters would face political consequences.
The joint resolution, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, passed with support from nearly all Democrats and six Republicans, including Don Bacon of Nebraska, Kevin Kiley of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Dan Newhouse of Washington, and one other lawmaker. Only one Democrat, Jared Golden of Maine, voted against the measure.
Meeks framed the vote as a straightforward choice to lower costs for American families. “Will you keep prices high out of loyalty to Donald Trump?” he asked. “Canada is not a civil war, a pandemic, or a human rights crisis. Emergency powers should not be used in this way.”
Trump responded before the vote, warning that Republicans who supported the resolution would “seriously suffer the consequences come election time,” citing the tariffs as vital to economic and national security. House Speaker Mike Johnson described the vote as “fruitless” because Trump is expected to veto the measure, and there is no two-thirds majority in Congress to override a veto.
The six Republican rebels cited economic and constitutional concerns. Jeff Hurd of Colorado said tariffs were harming local agriculture and manufacturing while setting a dangerous precedent for broad executive power. Dan Newhouse of Washington emphasized the impact on his state’s trade with Canada, noting rising costs for farmers and producers in the beer, wine, and spirits industries. Don Bacon called tariffs a tax on American consumers, and Kevin Kiley stressed the importance of protecting Congress’s constitutional authority over trade policy.
Several of the Republicans who voted with Democrats, including Bacon, Kiley, and Massie, had previously opposed Trump’s broader use of emergency powers for tariffs, highlighting ongoing friction within the party over trade strategy.
The resolution now moves to the Senate, where a similar measure passed last October with bipartisan support, including four Republicans: Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski. Johnson noted that Trump’s veto is expected to maintain the tariffs in place.
Trump has frequently used tariffs as leverage in international trade negotiations. Many of his charges, including those targeting Canada, are currently under legal challenge. A federal appeals court ruled in August that numerous tariffs were unlawful, and the administration has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the decision. Trump described a swift ruling as critical, but no decision has yet been made.
The vote underscores growing tensions between the Trump administration’s trade approach and a segment of the GOP concerned about economic impact and the constitutional role of Congress in setting tariffs.
