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.”
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Associated Press writers Leah Askarinam and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.