Trump Pressures Senate Republicans To Oppose Resolution That Would Nullify Canada Tariffs

Senate Republicans are facing pressure Wednesday from President Donald Trump to oppose a Democratic resolution that would nullify the presidential emergency on fentanyl he is using to implement tariffs on Canada.

Just hours before Trump was set to announce his plan for "reciprocal tariffs" on China, Mexico and Canada - his so-called "Liberation Day" - the Senate was expected to vote on a resolution that offers Republicans an off-ramp to the import taxes on Canada. It is a significant test for Republican loyalty to Trump's vision of remaking the U.S. economy by clamping down on free trade. Many economists are warning that the plan could force an economic contraction, and GOP senators are already watching with unease.

The votes of at least four Republicans - Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rand Paul of Kentucky - were in doubt ahead of the vote. If all Democrats plus the four Republicans vote for the resolution, it would boost it to the simple majority needed to pass the Senate. The legislation would still need to be brought up and passed in the Republican-controlled House.

In a social media post just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, Trump singled out the four senators, saying they "will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl."

To justify the tariffs, Trump has argued that Canada is not doing enough to stop illegal drugs from entering the northern border. Customs and Border Protection seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the northern border during the 2024 fiscal year, and since January, authorities have seized less than 1.5 pounds, according to federal data . Meanwhile, at the southern border, authorities seized over 21,000 pounds last year.