Senate Votes Down Tariff Block Measure 05/01 06:11

   Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday 
that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Donald Trump earlier this 
month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have 
remained skeptical of his trade agenda.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic 
resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Donald 
Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in 
both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.

   Trump announced the far-reaching tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners 
April 2 and then reversed himself a few days later after a market meltdown, 
suspending the import taxes for 90 days. Amid the uncertainty for both U.S. 
consumers and businesses, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the U.S. 
economy shrank 0.3% from January through March, the first drop in three years.

   The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate approved a resolution that would 
have have thwarted Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada. That measure 
passed 51-48 with the votes of four Republicans -- Sens. Susan Collins of 
Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky. 
But McConnell -- who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said 
how he would vote -- and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse were absent 
Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.

   Democrats said their primary aim was to put Republicans on the record either 
way and to try to reassert congressional powers.

   "The Senate cannot be an idle spectator in the tariff madness," said Oregon 
Sen. Ron Wyden, a lead sponsor of the resolution.

   Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the dismal economic numbers 
should be a "wakeup call" to Republicans.

   Wary of a rebuke to Trump, GOP leaders encouraged their conference not to 
vote for the resolution, even as many of them remain unconvinced about the 
tariffs. Vice President JD Vance attended a Senate GOP luncheon Tuesday with 
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who assured senators that the 
administration is making progress toward trade deals with individual countries.

   Collins said the close vote "demonstrates that there is unease with the 
president's plan."

   "It's partially the president's plan is still evolving but many of us are 
hearing from employers back home about the impact of the tariffs in a negative 
way," she said.

   Some Republicans argued that the vote was a political stunt. North Carolina 
Sen. Thom Tillis said he backs separate legislation by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley 
that would give Congress increased power over determining tariffs but would 
voted on the resolution, which he said is only about "making a point."

   Several Republicans defended Trump's tariffs -- and said they were willing 
to give him time to figure it out.

   "People are willing to give the president an opportunity to prove that the 
new system works," said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.

   Texas Sen. John Cornyn said the vote shows that senators "believe that the 
President's policies deserve to be tried and see if they're successful."

   Democrats say the Republicans' failure to stand up to Trump could have dire 
consequences. "The only thing Donald Trump's tariffs have succeeded in is 
raising the odds of recession and sending markets into a tailspin," said 
Schumer, D-N.Y. "Today, they have to choose -- stick with Trump or stand with 
your states."

   The Democratic resolution forced a vote under a statute that allows them to 
try to terminate the national economic emergency Trump used to levy the tariffs.

   Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it a "fake" emergency that Trump 
is using to impose his "on again, off again, red light, green light tariffs."

   The tariffs "are pushing our economy off a cliff," Warren said.

   Republicans held a procedural vote after the tied vote to ensure that 
Democrats could not bring the resolution up again, Senate Majority Leader John 
Thune told reporters afterward. Vice President J.D. Vance came to the Capitol 
to break the tie and ensure they dismissed the resolution for good.

   The Republican president has tried to reassure voters that his tariffs will 
not provoke a recession as his administration has focused on China, raising 
tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% even as he paused the others. He told his 
Cabinet Wednesday morning that his tariffs meant China was "having tremendous 
difficulty because their factories are not doing business."

   Trump said the U.S. does not really need imports from the world's dominant 
manufacturer. "Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls," he 
said. "So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would 
normally."