Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine were among the Republicans who voted for a resolution that would block Trump's tariffs on Canada. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images 2025-04-02T23:43:36Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? The Senate voted to block Trump's Canada tariffs right after his "Liberation Day" tariff event.It's a largely symbolic vote, and Trump's tariff power won't be restricted.Still, it's an embarrassment that Trump tried to avoid.Just hours after President Donald Trump unveiled a host of new tariffs, the GOP-controlled Senate voted to block a major part of his trade agenda.The Senate passed a resolution to terminate the national emergency that Trump declared on February 1 that enables him to enact tariffs on Canada. The bill is not expected to be taken up by the House, so Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada won't be affected.Still, it's an unwelcome symbolic rebuke of the president's trade agenda, coming on what he had dubbed "Liberation Day."It was a 51-48 vote, with every Democratic senator voting for the bill, along with four Republicans:Sen. Susan Collins of MaineSen. Mitch McConnell of KentuckySen. Lisa Murkowski of AlaskaSen. Rand Paul of KentuckyRepublican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas was not present for the vote.Paul, a libertarian Republican who's consistently spoken up in support of free trade, even co-sponsored the resolution, which was introduced by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia."Tariffs on Canada will threaten us with a recession," Paul told reporters on Wednesday. "I mean, it's a terrible, terrible idea."Collins, who faces a competitive reelection fight in 2026, cited her state's reliance on trade with Canada in a floor speech earlier on Wednesday."The Maine economy is integrated with Canada, our most important trading partner," Collins said. "The tariffs on Canada would be detrimental to many Maine families and our local economies."While Murkowski isn't up for reelection next year, her state is also reliant on trade with Canada, and she hasn't been shy about criticizing Trump and his administration. McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader, has also been critical of Trump's tariff plans.Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on imports from all foreign countries, plus higher reciprocal tariffs on a long list of other countries and a 25% tariff on foreign auto imports.Trump did not announce new tariffs on Mexico or Canada, and the White House said that there will continue to be no tariff on goods that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.At a press conference on Tuesday, Kaine and other Democratic senators said that tariffs on Canada specifically didn't make sense, given the country's longtime alliance with the United States."The President has justified the imposition of these tariffs on, in my view, a made-up emergency," Kaine said. "The fentanyl emergency is from Mexico and China. It's not from Canada."In an early morning Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said that he hoped that the GOP senators who planned to vote for the anti-tariff resolution would "get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change.""They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels," Trump wrote. "The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans."That argument may have won over some Republicans who are otherwise suspicious of tariffs, such as Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin."I'm not going to support their attempt to damage Trump," Johnson told reporters.When asked about Trump's argument, Paul was undeterred."I would argue that tariffs, particularly that leads to a recession, are devastating politically," Paul said.Recommended video