House Votes to Cancel Tariffs on Canada, Rebuking Trump
Toronto residents Douglas Bloomfield, from right, and his son Phoenix, vacationing in Washington, hold a Canadian flag and an ice hockey stick while vacationing in Washington show their support for Canada regarding trade tariffs in front of the White House in March 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Lawmakers in the House delivered a bipartisan message to President Trump on Wednesday, voting to cancel tariffs on Canada in a move that directly challenges his approach to international commerce.
Six Republicans joined Democrats to approve a resolution from Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks that would terminate the national emergency authority supporting the Canada tariffs, first rolled out in February 2025, the Washington Post reports. “Will you vote to lower the cost of living for the American family,” Meeks told members before the vote, per the AP, “or will you keep prices high out of loyalty to one person—Donald J. Trump?”
The 219–211 vote marks the House’s first formal attempt to undo the tariffs after nearly a year in which GOP leaders used procedural tactics to block such votes. The measure is expected to be largely symbolic: President Trump could veto it if it passes the Senate, and overturning that veto would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers. The vote also highlights tension within the Republican Party over the trade agenda.
A separate procedural effort by Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday to extend the prohibition on votes challenging tariffs through July was defeated when three Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie, Don Bacon, and Kevin Kiley—sided with Democrats. Their move cleared the way for Wednesday’s floor action. Johnson had argued the House should wait for an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the tariffs.
Rep. Don Bacon had previously described the tariffs as a “significant tax that American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers are paying,” according to USA Today. A February Pew Research Center survey found that 60% of Americans disapprove of the increased tariffs, while 37% approve. The Senate has previously voted to roll back the tariffs, but those efforts stalled while the House prohibition on such measures was in place.
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