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A key Senate Democrat projected confidence Wednesday that the chamber will rebuke President Donald Trump ’s tariff policy with support from some Republicans in an expected evening vote. The move would amount to rare bipartisan pushback against Trump in the GOP-led Senate and comes on the same day the president is set to make a major announcement on tariffs. Democratic Sen.
Tim Kaine is leading the effort to force the Senate vote on blocking tariffs from the Trump administration on Canadian imports. Trump has criticized the measure and urged Republicans to vote against it. One Republican — Sen.
Rand Paul of Kentucky — is cosponsoring the resolution and others have either said they plan to back it or are open to backing it, due to concerns about how tariffs will affect their constituents. The impact of any Senate vote will be limited, however, as any adopted resolution will not make any headway in the House. House Republicans previously tucked a provision into a procedural vote on a government funding bill that bars the House from considering legislation related to blocking Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico or China for the rest of the year.
Kaine said Wednesday he had approached Sen. Mitch McConnell Tuesday evening about signing onto the effort and said the Kentucky Republican pledged to back it before he could even ask. “I said, I want to talk to you about my Canadian tariffs bill.
And you know, I didn’t even get to the question, and he said, ‘I’m with you,’” Kaine said, describing the conversation. McConnell did not respond when asked by a CNN reporter at the Capitol on Wednesday if he plans to support the effort. The Democrat-led resolution would overturn a national emergency declaration that the Trump administration cited in February to announce planned tariffs on imports from Canada.
Democrats have described the measure as a way to undo tariffs on Canadian goods. Kaine said he believes he has “rock solid support” from four GOP senators, which would be enough for the Senate vote to succeed. There are also some Republicans, he said, “who are thinking about it but haven’t declared.
” Trump urged Republicans to vote against the measure in a post on Truth Social and singled out four Republicans in particular – Sens. Paul, McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins – saying they “will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push.” Trump went on to say, “To the people of the Great States of Kentucky, Alaska, and Maine, please contact these Senators and get them to FINALLY adhere to Republican Values and Ideals.
” Murkowski has said “yes” she is voting for the resolution, while Collins said Monday, “I intend to” but that she wanted to read over it again before making a final decision. Collins spoke in support of the resolution in remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon ahead of Trump’s announcement. “The Maine economy is integrated with Canada, our most important trading partner.
From home heating oil, gasoline, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum products, to Maine’s paper mills, forest products businesses, agricultural producers, and lobstermen, the tariffs on Canada would be detrimental to many Maine families and our local economies,” she said. Trump is set to announce the details of his “Liberation Day” plan at 4 p.m.
ET, as he aims to redraw economic agreements with US trading partners. Trump and his team were still weighing options as of late yesterday, with no final decision made yet ahead of the Rose Garden announcement. The details of the new levies are still unclear, but Trump has teased everything from reciprocal tariffs on all countries; the enactment of delayed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada; as well as tariffs on lumber, copper, pharmaceuticals and microchips.
Kaine warned about negative consequences for agricultural states of a trade war, specifically mentioning the potential negative impact on the whiskey industry. “There’s never been a one-sided trade war and they always retaliate when it’s agriculture. It hits ag states very, very hard, which includes whiskey,” Kaine said.
“Craft distillers in Virginia, my craft brewers are very, very worried about this.” Referring to McConnell, Kaine said, “And I’m sure he is hearing the same thing. .
.. I would imagine he is hearing a mouthful from folks.
” Kaine acknowledged there is still uncertainty about what Trump will announce on tariffs Wednesday afternoon but said he didn’t think it would impact his vote count. “He could delay it, he could cut it, he could increase it, I mean, that’s the one additional fact that’s a wild card. I don’t think that will affect, whatever he does, I don’t think it will affect, although, I guess if you completely cancel the emergency.
You know that could, but, he’s not going to do that based on his tweet. ..
. He’s not going to backtrack if that’s his social media message,” he said. The senator said he isn’t taking unanimous Democratic support for granted but projected confidence that there would not be defections on their side, though he said there’s been some “drama” as more GOP senators reach out with questions about the resolution.
Asked if he thinks Trump’s Truth Social post will affect votes, he said, “He attacked me too, It doesn’t affect me at all. And the ones he’s attacked, I don’t think it’s affecting them at all. So we’ll see.
” CNN’s Ted Barrett contributed to this report..
