Six House Republicans broke ranks with President Donald Trump by voting with the Democrats to pass a resolution to repeal his tariffs on Canada.
In a move that rebelled against what House GOP leaders fought for, the dissenting Republicans joined all but one Democrat (Jared Golden of Maine) in voting for the joint resolution put forward by Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York. The motion aims to block the President from using the National Emergencies Act to impose levies against Canada.
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Meeks had urged his colleagues across the aisle to vote in support of his resolution on Wednesday, presenting it as a simple decision that would “lower the cost of living for American families.”
“Will you keep prices high out of loyalty to Donald Trump?” he queried. “For over 50 years, emergency authorities have been declared for civil wars, pandemics, or massive human rights crises. Canada is none of those things.”
Trump warned against any dissent from within his party as the vote was coming to a close.
“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against tariffs will seriously suffer the consequences come election time, and that includes primaries,” he said. “Tariffs have given us economic and national security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said he was “disappointed” by the outcome of the vote, calling it a “fruitless” and “pointless” exercise.
“Trump has veto power, and there’s not a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override the veto, so it’s not going to change the policy,” he argued.
Three of the Republicans who voted with the Democrats—Don Bacon of Nebraska, Kevin Kiley of California, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky (who often clashes with the President)—had already rebuked Trump’s tariff policy on Tuesday, after voting against a resolution that would have prevented both the House and Senate from terminating the President’s use of national emergencies until July.
Section 202 of the National Emergencies Act allows a joint resolution to be entered at any time in either chamber for this purpose.
Trump has often used tariffs as a threat against countries around the world during his second term. These economic charges have formed a key, albeit contentious, part of his economic and foreign policy.
The Trump Administration is currently involved in an ongoing legal battle as it fights to maintain the validity of various charges. A federal appeals court ruled in August that many of Trump’s sweeping tariffs were unlawful. In response, the Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court decision.
Trump urged the Supreme Court to make its decision swiftly, calling it a matter of “life or death” for the country. But a ruling has yet to be made.
The resolution related to tariffs on Canada will now head to the Senate, where four Republicans, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats last October in a similar joint resolution to terminating the national emergency declared to impose global tariffs. However, per Johnson’s remarks, Trump is expected to veto the resolution, leaving the tariff policy as it was beforehand.
With tariffs causing a fracture within Trump’s own party, here are the six Republicans who broke ranks to rebuke the charges against Canada.
Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado
Jeff Hurd’s break from party lines was prompted by concerns over Congress’ ability to regulate tariffs, he explained.
“Congress has delegated limited authority to the Executive Branch, particularly in matters involving national emergencies. But those delegations were never intended to serve as a permanent vehicle for sweeping, long-term trade policy,” said Hurd after the vote. “If we normalize broad emergency trade powers today, we should expect that a future president—of either party—will rely on the same authority in ways many of us would strongly oppose.”
The Colorado lawmaker also relayed the concerns of his constituents in Colorado, describing how tariffs impact agricultural producers, supply chains, and steel production.
“When trade policy becomes unpredictable, it affects payrolls, investment decisions, and long-term planning,” he said. “My obligation is to defend both my district and the constitutional framework that protects us over the long term. This is not a partisan calculation; it is an economic and institutional one.”
Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington
Dan Newhouse echoed complaints over the economic impact his voters could incur over tariffs on Canada.
“Washington State’s economy is heavily intertwined with that of our neighbors to the North,” said Newhouse in a statement following the vote, highlighting that Canada is a major trading partner of the U.S.
“Our agricultural producers’ input and equipment prices have continued to climb, and Canada’s reciprocal tariffs and actions have harmed our state’s beer, wine, and spirits industry,” he added.
Newhouse also pointed towards the constitutional powers of Congress as part of his decision.
“Equally important is the fact that Congress should not tie its own hands on our Constitutional authority to levy tariffs,” he argued. “While I understand the President’s approach to utilize tariffs as leverage to secure more trade deals, the fact of the matter remains: the tariffs on Canada have harmed Washingtonians.”
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska
Don Bacon, who recently criticized Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, said ahead of the vote: “As an old fashioned Conservative, I know tariffs are a tax on American consumers. I know some disagree, but this debate and vote should occur in the House.”
He went on to say that “real conservatives oppose tariffs.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley of California
Kevin Kiley has not publicly commented on his Wednesday decision, but the California lawmaker was key in voting against the temporary block on the House’s ability to enact such termination.
“This was an attempt from the House leadership to take power away from members… that was a big problem for me,” Kiley told CBS news after the initial vote on Tuesday. “This is also authority that the House of Representatives has under Article 1 of our constitution, and I think it’s important in our system of checks and balances that we protect the powers that belong to our branch of government.”
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky
Thomas Massie, another Republican lawmaker who has longstanding disagreements with the Trump Administration, voiced his support for Congressional approval when raising tariffs.
Responding to a post that said “Congressional approval should be required to raise tariffs,” he argued: “The Constitution requires it.”
The lawmaker also defended his decision to vote against Tuesday’s bill to block terminations from either chamber. “My goal is to defend the Constitution and to represent the people. Taxing authority is vested in the House of Representatives, not the Executive,” he said.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania
Brian Fitzpatrick has often shown support for bipartisan legislation in the House.
Prior to voting with the Democrats on Wednesday, he favored joint party measures against congressional stock trading, as well as a push to extend healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
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