The US Senate approved revoking the global tariffs announced by the Donald Trump administration against more than 100 countries in April, in a new symbolic action by the upper chamber against the New York magnate’s trade policy.
With 51 votes in favor and 47 against, the Senate decided to reject Trump’s main trade policy with the support of Republican lawmakers Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski.
The resolution followed two others approved this week to eliminate tariffs on products from Canada and Brazil, respectively, which also received bipartisan support, highlighting the opposition of a few Republicans to the aggressive use of tariffs.
During the vote, McConnell said, “Tariffs make both construction and purchasing in the United States more expensive” and that “the economic harm from trade wars is not the exception but the rule.”
The measure, like the other two approved this week, will ultimately be a symbolic act, as it now moves to the House of Representatives, where it has little chance of advancing given the Republican majority in the chamber.
The global tariffs—called “reciprocal” by the Trump administration—of 10% against more than 100 nations were activated on April 5 using an emergency law, and between that date and August, the US has collected approximately $88 billion in tariff revenue, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
Image: DiarioNY
