The U.S. Senate approved a resolution on Tuesday evening to nullify former President Donald Trump's tariffs on Brazilian imports, including orange juice. The resolution, introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, passed by a 52–48 vote.
The measure would terminate the national emergencies Trump declared to justify the 50% tariffs on Brazil. However, the resolution faces obstacles in the Republican-controlled House, where new rules allow leadership to block it from a vote. Even if it passed Congress, Trump would almost certainly veto it.
The vote nonetheless reflected growing opposition among some Republicans to Trump's trade policies. Five GOP senators, Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, and Thom Tillis, joined all Democrats in supporting the measure. Kaine said the vote was intended to open debate in the Senate about "the economic destruction of tariffs" and added that he plans to introduce similar resolutions addressing Trump's tariffs on Canada and other countries later this week.
Trump has linked the tariffs to Brazil's internal policies and the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The United States recorded a US$6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil last year, according to Census Bureau data. "Every American who wakes up in the morning to get a cup of java is paying a price for Donald Trump's reckless, ridiculous, and almost childish tariffs," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
Republicans have also expressed unease over Trump's trade policy, especially amid ongoing economic challenges. The Congressional Budget Office recently reported that tariffs are among the factors contributing to higher unemployment and inflation while slowing economic growth.
In April, a similar vote to block tariffs on Canada passed in the Senate but was not taken up in the House. Kaine said he hopes recent votes show increasing Republican opposition to Trump's tariff policies. He invoked a decades-old law allowing Congress to block a president's emergency powers and compel votes on such resolutions.
Vice President JD Vance met with Republican senators ahead of the vote, urging them to support the president's authority to negotiate trade deals. Vance said Trump is using tariffs "to give American workers and American farmers a better deal."
Some Republicans, including Senators Kevin Cramer and Mitch McConnell, said they would wait for a Supreme Court ruling on Trump's authority before taking further action. "Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive," McConnell said. Rand Paul added that "emergencies are like war, famine, tornado. Not liking someone's tariffs is not an emergency."
Source: ABC News
