The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution that warns President Trump against abusing his authority to impose tariffs on imports for national security reasons.
[Also read: China vows retaliation after $200B tariff threat from US]
The vast majority of Republicans and every Senate Democrat supported a motion to instruct, which would would direct a House-Senate committee to include language in a spending bill that would give Congress a say in tariffs imposed by the White House for a national security purposes. The motion passed 88-11.
[Jeff Flake says Senate will vote on resolution opposing Trump’s tariffs]
The motion is non-binding, however, and conferees to the committee do not have to follow it. But it reflects a growing worry in Congress that Trump is imposing national security tariffs against U.S. trading partners that is leading to retaliation that could hurt U.S. companies.
The vote was sought for weeks by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., all of whom had been critical of the president’s decision to slap Canada, Mexico, and European allies with tariffs under the guise of national security and for Congress to take back powers they have given to the executive branch.
All but 11 Republicans voted in favor of the non-binding motion. Among those who voted against it were Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who is up for re-election in the fall, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
“In today’s polarized Washington, rarely do we see broad, bipartisan consensus on an issue. But today, the Senate spoke loud and clear by overwhelmingly expressing support for our efforts to ensure Congress plays its appropriate role in the implementation of national security-designated tariffs,” Corker said in a statement. “I believe support for our legislation will only grow. We will continue to push for a binding vote and are hopeful one will be scheduled in the near future.”
Republicans have sounded the alarm bells for weeks after the president announced his tariffs on the trio of U.S. allies, but were hesitant to bring up legislation that would have directly taken aim at the president. This drew the ire of Corker, who lambasted Republican leadership on the Senate floor last month for not allowing a vote on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act and being afraid to “poke the bear.”
Two weeks later, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., relented and promised not to block amendments to the farm bill, but Corker’s request for a vote on the amendment was blocked by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, a staunch ally of the president on trade issues.
Trump has pushed hard against legislation, saying it would tie his hands in negotiations with the group of allies as he works toward new and improved trade agreements.
