The US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday in favor of a resolution promoted by the Democrats to rescind and repeal the tariffs unilaterally imposed by President Donald Trump on Canada last year. The measure will remain symbolic as it will be vetoed by Trump, but it is a new political defeat that shows the weakness of the White House, which a few weeks ago had to agree to declassify millions of documents in the Epstein Case. This, like today's events, has been made possible because Republican legislators (six on this occasion) have broken ranks and challenged the leader, knowing it would unleash his anger.
"Any Republican, in the House of Representatives or in the Senate, who votes against the tariffs will suffer serious consequences in the elections, including the primaries! Our trade deficit has been reduced by 78%, the Dow Jones has just reached 50,000 points, and the S&P 5000, figures that were considered impossible just a year ago. In addition, the tariffs have provided us with great national security, as the mere mention of the word makes countries adhere to our strongest desires. The tariffs have provided us with economic and national security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege," Trump immediately reacted by combining his two favorite tools: tariffs and the threat to withdraw support from congressmen and senators and give it to their rivals in the primaries. This is crucial given that the entire lower chamber, and a third of the upper chamber, are up for reelection this November.
The House Speaker, Republican leader Mike Johnson, had been maneuvering for almost a year to prevent what happened today, just as he tried in every possible way to avoid a text requesting transparency in the Epstein case. But he has not been able to do so despite the majority he commands. The Constitution gives Congress the powers to establish a more protectionist trade policy, but in recent decades, inexplicably, legislators have been ceding that authority to the White House. Richard Nixon was the last to attempt something similar, but Trump has made it the central pillar of his economic strategy.
The Supreme Court should have already ruled on the matter. The case reached their hands at the end of last year, a hearing was held, and a ruling was expected by the end of January, but it is still pending.
The resolution approved today, with 219 votes in favor and 211 against, was sponsored by Gregory W. Meeks, a congressman from New York and the highest-ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Although it will not lead to any changes, if Trump vetoes it, it exposes the administration's weaknesses, fuels the narrative that for the first time there are cracks in Trumpism, and makes it clear that in an election year, many politicians are starting to fear their constituents more than the party leader. It also exposes those who have voted in favor of a tariff policy that is increasing the prices of many imported products.
The approved text now goes to the Senate (which also has a conservative majority) that must reconsider the issue, despite having approved a similar text with narrow bipartisan consensus last year. If the senators reaffirm their position, the document would go to Trump, who would undoubtedly veto it. And although formally Congress could override the presidential veto, it would need the agreement of two-thirds of both chambers. Something unthinkable at the moment.
What happened severely undermines Speaker Johnson, who has lost two battles in the same week. On Tuesday, he failed to push through a desperate procedural issue to block or postpone the votes for several months, tactics that had worked for him before. His argument was that they had to wait for the Supreme Court's decision, which might even be delayed until spring or summer. But the opposition of several lawmakers, more liberal or open enemies of the president, prevented it.
Congressman Don Bacon from Nebraska pointed out that the pressures from "everyone," including the White House, had been very strong, but he had not given in. "I voted on principles. They were trying to negotiate a bit, and I understand, they were trying to do their job. I don't criticize them. They were trying to sweeten Nebraska, but I said, 'What about the other 49 states? This is not just about Nebraska'."
Under normal circumstances, the Democrats, in the minority, would not have been able to force a vote on a resolution of this kind, but the path used by the White House to impose tariffs has opened secondary doors. Trump has invoked national emergency legislation to declare a trade war on Canada and the rest of the world. And for that reason, a special provision of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act has been used that allows legislators to expedite votes to challenge emergency declarations justifying decisions such as tariffs. In this case, they did so based on Trump's use of the excuse of the threat of drug entry, especially fentanyl, from Canada. Something that has been proven not to be happening. It is more complicated in the case of Mexico, but not with the northern neighbor.