Trump urges GOP to rally around his Canada tariffs

President Trump is urging Senate Republicans to reject a resolution that would terminate the national emergency he used to justify tariffs on Canada.

The resolution sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat, is dead on arrival in the House but will force Republican senators to either support or reject Mr. Trump’s tariff powers at a critical juncture in his trade agenda. A vote is expected on Tuesday or Wednesday.

As some Republicans signal they will vote with Democrats, the president is warning the GOP to rally behind his plans, saying he imposed the levies to stop fentanyl trafficking.

“Don’t let the Democrats have a Victory. It would be devastating for the Republican Party and, far more importantly, for the United States. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote on Truth Social.

Mr. Trump announced a 25% tariff on Canada in March, though he quickly exempted a full suite of goods under the North American trade agreement that he negotiated in his first term.

Still, the decision to tax Canadian goods set off a firestorm north of the border, where stores launched a “Buy Canadian” effort to avoid U.S.-made products.

Mr. Kaine is using a procedural tool to try and end the emergency Mr. Trump declared around fentanyl that is trafficked across the northern border. He says the tariffs on Canada will increase everyday prices and make it harder to build ships or complete other major projects.

He also said Mr. Trump’s stated justification for the tariffs — the influx of fentanyl — should be aimed at China and Mexico, given the relatively small amount of the drug that pours over the northern border.

“The emergency is being invented to do the tariffs, to do the taxes on everyday Americans. Why? So they can use the tariff revenue to give a tax cut to billionaires,” Mr. Kaine said at a press conference.

Republicans such as Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said her state’s economy is intertwined with Canada, so the tariffs are bad for business.

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, also opposes tariffs and could vote with Democrats.

Mr. Trump says GOP senators must rally behind him.

“Senator Tim Kaine, who ran against me with Crooked Hillary in 2016, is trying to halt our critical Tariffs on deadly Fentanyl coming in from Canada,” Mr. Trump wrote. “We are making progress to end this terrible Fentanyl Crisis, but Republicans in the Senate MUST vote to keep the National Emergency in place, so we can finish the job, and end the scourge.”

The effort is largely about optics. Mr. Kaine is testing Republicans’ willingness to back tariffs on a U.S. ally.

House Republicans earlier this year adopted a rule preventing Democrats in that chamber from forcing a vote on the emergency designation used to justify the tariffs.

The effort coincides with Mr. Trump’s plan to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries that charge levies on U.S. goods.

Mr. Trump recently imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports and a 25% tariff on automobiles made outside the U.S.

Tariffs are a tax or duty paid by importers on the goods they bring in from foreign markets. Mr. Trump says tariffs force companies to return to America or keep their operations in the U.S., employ American workers and create revenue to fund domestic programs.

Tariffs can also result in higher prices for consumers. Foreign countries don’t pay the tariffs directly to the U.S. Treasury. In many cases, companies will pay the levies, and they might pass on at least some of the cost to consumers through higher prices.