“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!” said President Donald Trump in a Wednesday night Truth Social post.
That same night, six Republicans joined most of the House Democrats (Rep. Jared Golden of Maine voted no) to vote in favor of terminating the national emergency declaration and tariffs on Canada the president initiated last February. It was a move prompted by U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Republicans who joined Meeks and the Democrats to vote for termination of the tariffs were: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R- Pa.), Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.). Per Ballotpedia, Bacon and Newhouse are not seeking reelection this year, but Fitzpatrick, Hurd, Kiley and Massie are.
During elections, Trump often puts his weight behind certain candidates with endorsements.
However, Republicans seem to be caught between garnering the president’s approval as he insists on tariffs as an economic and foreign policy strategy and the unpopularity of this approach with the public. POLITICO polling from December found that Trump “struggled to persuade even parts of his base to accept the idea that tariffs will pay off over time.”
This week, Audacy reported on an analysis from the non-partisan Tax Foundation group that found Trump’s tariffs on countries around the world amounted to an average tax increase of $1,000 per household last year and $1,300 per household this year. Previously, we also covered a report from Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a Germany-based think tank, that found U.S. consumers have been bearing a significant part of the economic burden brought on by the tariffs.
CNBC reported this week that a new analysis of U.S. Census data showed “that states across the U.S. where key midterm elections will take place this year paid over $134 billion in tariffs,” since Trump began implementing them last year. U.S. Census data compiled by Trade Partnership Worldwide showed a total of $199 billion in tariffs paid by states from last March through last November, CNBC said.
While Trump has called the word affordability a “Democrat scam” and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that the tariffs “do not cause inflation,” Americans are stressed about the economy. YouGov polling results released this week found that net approval of Trump’s handling of the economy has dipped to a second term low.
“When I go home, my constituents aren’t telling me they have an extra $1,700 to spare,” said Meeks during remarks on the House vote. “They’re asking me to lower grocery prices, lower the price of healthcare, and make life more affordable.”
On the other hand, Trump argued in his Truth Social post that the tariffs have reduced the U.S. trade deficit and contributed to stock market increases.
“In addition, TARIFFS have given us Great National Security because the mere mention of the word has Countries agreeing to our strongest wishes,” said the president. “TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege.”
Meeks said that Canada isn’t an enemy of the U.S., but an ally. He also said “there is no national emergency” – Trump used the fentanyl crisis as grounds for the emergency.
In another Wednesday evening Truth Social post, Trump had some harsh words for our northern neighbors.
“Canada has taken advantage of the United States on Trade for many years,” he said. “They are among the worst in the World to deal with, especially as it relates to our Northern Border. TARIFFS make a WIN for us, EASY. Republicans must keep it that way!”
According to POLITICO, the small GOP rift over tariffs is something Democrats believe could be a powerful tool in the upcoming midterm elections come November. Now, the Senate is expected to vote on the resolution to end the tariffs, where it could pass with a simple majority vote, per the Council on Foreign Relations. Still, it added that Trump is expected to veto the resolution if it passes in the Senate and ends up on his desk.