Senate Votes to End Trump's Global Tariff Authority

On Oct. 30, 2025, the U.S. Senate voted 51–47 to pass joint resolution S.J. Res. 88, nullifying President Trump’s national‑emergency justification for imposing “reciprocal” tariffs on more than 100 countries. Four Republican senators — Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul — joined all Democrats in the third bipartisan rebuke this week after votes rolling back tariffs on Canada and Brazil, signaling growing GOP dissent over Mr. Trump’s trade agenda. Lead sponsor Sen. Ron Wyden and other critics said the tariffs, imposed under an emergency declaration using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), had driven up costs for American families and harmed sectors including farming and manufacturing, and they say the administration overstepped Congress’s trade authority; legal challenges are headed for Supreme Court review. The vote is largely symbolic: the Republican‑controlled House under Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to block the measure and the president would likely veto it if it reached his desk, leaving the tariffs in place for now. The Senate action came as Mr. Trump returned from Asia after a deal with China that reduced some Chinese tariffs to 47% and included other trade concessions, prompting bipartisan debate over trade strategy and economic impact.