The Democrat and RINO effort to blow up Trump’s global tariffs suffered an embarrassing failure in the Senate this evening after two senators failed to vote.
Democrats ran into attendance problems. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) was absent, along with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who had voted in favor of a similar bill reversing tariffs on Canada earlier this month.
Senator Rand Paul (RINO-KY) had sponsored a resolution that would have terminated ALL of Trump’s tariffs, including those on America’s top adversary, China.
The vote deadlocked 49-49, meaning it failed by one vote. But there were three Republicans who voted to stab Trump in the back and end the global tariffs:
- Rand Paul of Kentucky
- Susan Collins of Maine
- Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) did not show up to cast their votes. Had they done so, the measure would have passed.
Paul’s legislation is similar to the tariff bill passed earlier this month, though more expansive. That bill, sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), would have terminated the national emergency tariffs only on Canada.
Even if Paul’s bill had passed, it faced almost certain defeat in the House of Representatives. In addition, Republicans have also recently voted to make it harder for lawmakers to take up resolutions related to Trump’s tariff authority as NBC notes.
The White House said on Tuesday that Trump would veto the resolution if it reached his desk.
Paul expected the resolution to pass in the Senate this week and took direct aim at House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for working to block the measure in the House.
Paul attacked Johnson for “chicanery” and “dishonesty” for inserting a provision in House rules that would prevent the anti-tariff resolution from being considered.
“I would call it chicanery. I would call it dishonesty. I mean, it’s just a terrible idea that he’s actually overturning the law with a rule,” Paul said.
