Washington DC [US], October 29 : The US Senate has voted 52 to 48 to block US President Donald Trump's 50 per cent tariff imposition on Brazilian goods, rejecting the national emergency declaration he used to impose the measure in July, Politico reported.
According to Politico, the voting on Tuesday (local time) saw five Republican SenatorsThom Tillis from North Carolina, Susan Collins from Maine, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, and Rand Paul from Kentuckyjoining Democrats in supporting the resolution.
The vote, which comes as part of a series of three expected resolutions targeting Trump's tariffs on Brazil, Canada, and other countries, highlights rising concerns in Congress over the economic impact of the President's trade policies on US farmers and small businesses.
Senator Rand Paul, a leading critic of the tariffs, said, "Emergencies are like war, famine [and] tornadoes. Not liking someone's tariffs is not an emergency. It's an abuse of the emergency power and it's Congress abdicating their traditional role in taxes," as quoted by Politico.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon, a co-sponsor of resolutions against Canada and global tariffs, said there is growing frustration among lawmakers as constituents complain about higher prices and economic strain caused by the trade measures.
"Republican senators who go home and they just feel like they're getting hit by a trade wrecking ball," he said, as quoted by Politico.
"People come up and say, 'the tariffs are killing us.' You go to the grocery store, and everybody's up in arms," he added.
In July, Trump announced the 50 per cent tariff on Brazilian exports, citing its treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, over his role in attempting to overturn Brazil's 2022 election, as well as Brazil's policies on digital content affecting US social media firms.
His national emergency declaration cited Brazil's policies as an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the US national security, foreign policy, and economy.
Several lawmakers, including Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia, also criticised the use of emergency powers to impose tariffs, warning it could set a dangerous precedent.
"Don't lie and say there's an energy emergency when there isn't. Don't lie and say Brazil's prosecution of a president is an emergency when it's not. Don't use the lie to increase the price of coffee by 40 per cent in a year. Don't use the lie to punish a country with whom we have a trade surplus. Don't lie and don't hurt my citizens," Kaine said, as quoted by Politico.
While the Senate vote signals opposition, the measure remains largely symbolic, as House Republican leaders have delayed a vote on overruling the tariffs until March, shielding lawmakers from backlash from farmers and businesses in their states, as reported by Politico.
Meanwhile, next week, the US Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on whether Trump overstepped his authority by using an emergency declaration to impose tariffs globally.
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