The United States House of Representatives approved a resolution this Wednesday to reject the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on Canadain an unusual rebuke within the Republican Party itself against one of the president’s most emblematic economic policies. The measure came out ahead by 219 votes to 211with several Republicans joining the Democrats. Only one Democrat voted against. The text, promoted by the Democratic congressman Gregory Meeksrepresents a setback for House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, who had tried to block the debate on tariffs for months. The result reflects the growing concern in Congress over the White House’s economic agenda in a context marked by concern about the cost of living ahead of the midterm elections. It also evidences Trump’s increasingly tight control over the narrow Republican majority. Trump warned during the vote that any Republican lawmaker who opposed the tariffs would suffer electoral consequences. «Any Republican, in the House or Senate, who votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences in elections, including primaries. TARIFFS have given us economic and national security,» he wrote on his social network. Still, some Republicans — especially in competitive districts where levies are unpopular — chose to back the initiative. The congressman Don Bacon He claimed to have voted «on principle» despite the White House’s attempts to change his position.
A MEASURE WITH LITTLE OPTIONS TO PROSPER
The text will now go to the Senatewhich has already shown a willingness to question other tariffs from the president. However, everything indicates that the effort will be mainly symbolic: Trump has threatened to veto any legislation contrary to his trade policy, making it unlikely to become law. The joint resolutions they need the presidential signature or an overwhelming majority to overcome a veto, a unlikely scenario in the current political balance. Rather than forcing an immediate change, the vote increases pressure on the Administration and forces the Republicans to take a position between loyalty to the president and rejection of a policy that many consider harmful to consumers, manufacturers and farmers.
The debate also comes at a delicate moment for the North American trade relationship. Trump is privately considering abandoning the trade agreement with Mexico and Canada signed during his first term, a decision that could further raise tensions in the region. Currently, about 80% of goods imported from Canada meet the treaty criteria and are exempt from tariffs.
