Vance was completely caught off guard. This latest incident was a major test for him.
And JD Vance was rushed to the U.S. Capitol for this high stakes emergency.
Senate Stands Firm on Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tariffs Despite Pushback
In a dramatic Senate session on Wednesday, a resolution to dismantle President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff agenda fell short, locking in a 49-49 tie. The deadlock prompted Vice President JD Vance to step in, casting a decisive tie-breaking vote to preserve the levies. The outcome highlighted a rare fracture within Republican ranks, with a handful of GOP senators aligning with Democrats to challenge the tariffs.
The resolution, spearheaded by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., aimed to terminate the “national emergency” declaration underpinning Trump’s tariff policy. Wyden leveraged the resolution’s “privileged” status, ensuring a mandatory vote despite Republican control of the Senate.
However, the effort stalled as three Republicans—Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Rand Paul of Kentucky—broke party lines to support the resolution, only to be outmaneuvered by unified GOP resistance and Vance’s pivotal vote.
Following the initial stalemate, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., moved to reconsider the resolution, then tabled it, effectively blocking Democrats from reviving the issue. This procedural maneuver also ended in a 49-49 tie, resolved after roughly 80 minutes when Vance, in his dual role as Senate president, cast the tie-breaking vote.
The absence of key senators added intrigue to the day’s events. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., did not participate in the vote, with Whitehouse reportedly stuck on a flight from South Korea, according to Providence’s CBS affiliate. These absences fueled speculation about potential shifts in the vote’s outcome, as every tally hinged on razor-thin margins.
A GOP Divide on Trade Policy
The tariff debate exposed tensions within the Republican Party, with critics like Collins voicing concerns about the policy’s scope. “It’s not perfect, I think it’s too broad,” Collins explained, according to Politico. Meanwhile, Paul, a staunch advocate for free trade, delivered a fiery Senate floor speech, urging conservatives to rethink their support for the levies.
“You know, there was an old-fashioned conservative principle that believed that less taxes were better than more taxes,” Paul stated. “That if you tax something, you got less of it. So that if you place a new tax on trade, you’ll get less trade.”
Paul invoked historical precedents, tying the tariff debate to foundational principles of governance. “There was also this idea that you didn’t do taxation without representation,” he said, referencing a concept rooted in the American Revolution, the English Civil War, and even the Magna Carta.
He argued that the Constitution bars taxation without congressional approval, a safeguard he believes Trump’s emergency declaration sidesteps.
“An emergency has been declared, as the Senator from Virginia remarked,” Paul continued. “Everywhere, there’s an emergency everywhere. Sounds like an emergency everywhere is really an emergency nowhere.”
Democratic Pushback and Further Implications
Democrats, united in their opposition, framed the tariffs as a burden on American families. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted the GOP’s stance, declaring that Republicans “voted to keep the Trump tariff-tax in place. They own the Trump tariffs and higher costs on America’s middle-class families.”
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., had previously criticized the tariffs, particularly those targeting Canada, arguing that while issues like fentanyl proliferation constitute a crisis, they do not justify levies on a key ally.
Despite Democratic efforts, the House has shown little appetite for pursuing a similar resolution, dimming prospects for a legislative reversal.
The Senate’s failure to block Trump’s tariffs signals a continued embrace of his economic agenda, even as it sparks debate over trade policy and executive authority. For now, the “Liberation Day” tariffs remain intact, with Vance’s tie-breaking votes cementing their place.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
