The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked a Democrat-led resolution that would have stripped President Donald Trump of the emergency powers he used to impose global tariffs.
The measure, spearheaded by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), fell short in a 49–49 vote, failing to clear the simple majority needed.
Three Republicans — Paul, Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) — sided with Democrats, but that was not enough to push the resolution through. With two senators absent, including GOP Leader Mitch McConnell and Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, the chamber deadlocked.
Vice President JD Vance appeared briefly in the Capitol in case a tiebreaker was needed, after Democrats attempted to revive the resolution through procedural maneuvers.
At the heart of the resolution was President Trump’s “Liberation Day” declaration, under which the White House invoked emergency authority to impose tariffs aimed at defending American jobs and restoring domestic manufacturing.
While the tariffs were paused temporarily amid ongoing trade talks, Democrats moved forward with an effort to repeal the authority outright. A move the Trump administration warned would weaken America’s economic and national security leverage.
“President Trump is doing the right thing,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). “The tariffs are working. It’s helping American companies, and at the end of the day, we’ve got to do something to help the American people and get manufacturing back to the United States.”
Opponents of the resolution argue that any short-term economic turbulence is outweighed by long-term gains for American industry. Trump has repeatedly blamed the economic woes on the Biden administration, arguing the tariffs are part of a broader strategy to regain control over the supply chain and protect American workers.
Supporters of the resolution disagreed. Sen. Paul, who broke with most of his party, denounced the tariffs as hidden taxes on American families. “Tariffs don’t punish foreign governments, they punish American families,” Paul said during a floor speech. “When we tax imports, we raise the price of everything, from groceries to smart phones.”
The White House issued a veto threat earlier this week, making clear that the president would not allow the resolution to become law.
The vote came just hours after the Commerce Department reported that U.S. GDP shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter, the first contraction in three years.
Some senators pointed to the data as a sign of strain caused by global uncertainty and preemptive importing ahead of tariff hikes. But others, like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), said the numbers reflect long-standing challenges for working Americans.
“I don’t think this number is any reflection on the current president,” Hawley said. “This is the economy he inherited. We’ve got to turn that around.”
Although the resolution was unlikely to succeed in the Republican-controlled House, where Speaker Mike Johnson has backed Trump’s trade authority, the Senate vote was viewed as a key test of GOP unity. This is a legislative win for the White House and a signal that most Republicans remain aligned with the administration’s trade strategy.
Sen. Susan Collins expressed concern that the tariff powers have been applied too broadly, particularly toward U.S. allies. “We really need to be far more discriminatory in imposing these tariffs and not treat allies like Canada the way we treat adversaries,” she said.
Despite Democratic pressure and wavering among a few Republicans, most in the GOP stood by the president’s approach. While the party may not be unified on every trade detail, the failed vote made clear that Trump’s “America First” trade policy still holds sway on Capitol Hill.