Politics

On Wednesday, February 12, the US House of Representatives voted to overturn Donald Trump's tariffs on goods from Canada. This decision pushed aside Trump's last-minute warning that Republicans could face election repercussions for opposing him, marking a rare criticism of his key economic policy. The Democrats introduced the measure, which passed with a vote of 219 to 211, including support from six Republicans. While this action is mostly symbolic, the House can also look into ending the national emergencies Trump declared last year to impose these broad tariffs on imports from various nations. However, any efforts to reverse Trump's tariffs on Canada and other trading partners still require approval from the US Senate and the president's signature. Even if the Senate approves it, Trump is expected to veto it, and Congress is unlikely to gather the two-thirds vote needed to override that veto. During the vote, Trump tried to influence lawmakers from his own party by warning them on his Truth Social platform. He stated, “Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time.” He added that tariffs have provided economic and national security benefits, urging that no Republican should jeopardize this advantage.