Four Senate Republicans Join Democrats to Undermine Trump’s Canada Tariffs

Four Senate Republicans sided with Democrats on Wednesday night in an attempt to dismantle President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, a key part of his broader strategy to secure America’s borders and level the playing field on trade.

The Senate narrowly passed a resolution 51-48 that would terminate the national emergency declaration used by Trump to justify the tariffs. The resolution, spearheaded by liberal Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), has almost no chance of survival it’s dead-on-arrival in the GOP-led House, and Trump has already promised to veto it.

Still, the vote sends a troubling message: establishment Republicans are once again undermining a president who is fighting to put America first.

Here are the four GOP senators who broke ranks:

• Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

• Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) skipped the vote altogether.

Collins, trying to defend her vote, claimed that Canada is Maine’s “most important trading partner” and pushed the idea that tariffs on Canadian goods hurt Maine families. Murkowski went further, questioning why the U.S. is “fighting Canada” while “making nice with Russia,” a stunning mischaracterization of Trump’s clear, tough stance on U.S. adversaries.

In reality, Trump’s tariffs on Canada are part of a larger effort to pressure the Trudeau government to crack down on the fentanyl pipeline. The president made it clear earlier this year: Canada has not done enough to stop the flow of dangerous drugs across our northern border.

“Canada is facilitating the flow of fentanyl into the United States,” Trump posted on Truth Social before the vote. “This is a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans.”

He’s not wrong. The Senate vote, though symbolic, comes just hours after Trump announced his historic “Liberation Day” tariffs a sweeping 10% baseline on all imports and steep retaliatory tariffs targeting global bad actors like China, Japan, and yes, Canada.

The resolution from Kaine and his allies, including Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mark Warner (D-VA), used procedural rules to force a Senate vote. Their talking points echoed the globalist line: that tariffs are “bad for consumers,” “harm trade partnerships,” and “ignite trade wars.”

But Trump and his allies see it differently. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) called the resolution a “meaningless messaging stunt,” and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) confirmed it will go nowhere in the lower chamber.

“Kaine’s goal is to undermine President Trump’s successful work to secure the Northern Border,” Barrasso said. “Senate Republicans will not be distracted.”

The real story here isn’t about tariffs it’s about which Republicans are standing with Trump and which are still clinging to the failed, pre-2016 GOP playbook.

Trump’s America First trade strategy has always been about one thing: defending American workers, restoring manufacturing, and protecting U.S. communities from foreign exploitation whether it’s from China, Mexico, or our so-called allies to the north.

For those Republican senators who voted to side with Democrats on this, their constituents and the MAGA base won’t forget.

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