The resolution brought by Democrats was approved by a vote of 219 to 211, with six Republicans joining the effort.
US lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to reject President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, sweeping aside the Republican leader’s last-gasp threat of election consequences for his party and delivering a rare rebuke on his signature economic policy.
Trump had imposed a 35 per cent tariff on many Canadian products last year, but he provided lower rates for energy imports and created sweeping exclusions for goods entering under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).
The resolution brought by Democrats was approved by a vote of 219 to 211, with six Republicans joining the effort. Even if it passes the US Senate, it would likely face a veto from Trump, AFP reported.
Trump made clear, as the votes were being cast, that there would be political consequences for any Republicans who crossed him on tariffs.
“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!” Trump wrote in a social media post. “TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump has threatened to veto similar measures, making it unlikely the legislation will ever become law. But defections from six Republicans, alongside opposition from nearly all Democrats, underscore Trump’s increasingly tenuous hold on the narrow House majority.
The measure’s passage comes as Trump privately weighs quitting the US-Mexico-Canada trade pact he signed during his first term, a move that would worsen trade tensions in North America. About 80% of goods imported from Canada meet USMCA criteria and are exempt from tariffs.
US House vote
Wednesday’s rebuke comes after the expiration of a measure barring any vote on the issue of tariffs in the chamber — a move that has stifled opposition to Trump’s trade policy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally in Congress, sought to renew this prohibition on Tuesday but was unsuccessful, as three House Republicans voted alongside Democrats to block the move.
Earlier Wednesday, House Republican Don Bacon posted on social media that lawmakers “cannot & should not outsource our responsibilities.”
“As an old fashioned Conservative I know tariffs are a tax on American consumers,” he added, noting that debates and votes on the issue should occur in the House.
Canada — like other US trading partners — has been hit by various waves of Trump’s tariffs since he returned to office early last year, tapping emergency economic powers to justify the duties.
However, broad exemptions for Canadian goods have softened the blow.
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
