In a vote of 219 to 211, the House approved a resolution to cancel Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canada, with six Republicans voting against Trump to join Democrats. The measure, led by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), officially rejects Trump’s use of a “national emergency” as an excuse to impose penalties on one of America’s closest allies.
Trump is very angry.
As the vote happened, he posted on Truth Social, threatening any Republican who voted against the tariffs: “Any Republican… that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!”
It didn’t work.
Reps. Don Bacon, Thomas Massie, Kevin Kiley, Jeff Hurd, Dan Newhouse, and Brian Fitzpatrick refused to back down.
They joined nearly all Democrats in delivering a rare blow to Trump’s trade policy — and to Speaker Mike Johnson, who had spent a year changing House rules to prevent Republicans from voting on the issue.
But this week, the dam broke.
For months, Trump claimed his tariffs were needed to fight drugs and border issues.
However, less than 0.1% of the fentanyl entering the U.S. comes from Canada. Meanwhile, businesses and farmers in both red and blue areas have warned that the tariffs are raising prices and hurting jobs.
“There is not a national emergency,” Meeks said on the House floor.
He called Trump’s tariff strategy not a plan, but an “impulse.”
The vote is mostly symbolic — Trump is expected to veto it — but the political impact is real.
Republicans in swing districts had to make public statements supporting tariffs that many of their voters fear could hurt their economy.
Even the Supreme Court is now looking into whether Trump went too far by using emergency powers to impose tariffs on his own.
For decades, Republicans supported free trade.
Under Trump, they mostly followed his lead. But this week showed something important: cracks are beginning to form.
Trump warned about primaries.
He demanded loyalty. Six Republicans chose their voters instead.
And for once, the bully didn’t win.
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