A House GOP bid to block future votes on President Donald Trump’s tariffs until the end of July failed on Tuesday after three House Republicans joined Democrats in blocking the procedural measure.
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Kevin Kiley (R-CA) each bucked the president on his emergency tariffs, bringing the final vote to 217-214.
The procedural rule, if passed, would have kept the House from striking down any tariff policy for the next five to six months.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) argued any such vote should wait until the Supreme Court weighs in on Trump’s national emergency declaration used to justify his tariffs. Given the case’s significance, a decision likely won’t come down until the end of June or the beginning of July.
Massie and Bacon have been particularly outspoken about tariffs as they relate to Congress’s constitutional authority over the matter.
A frequent critic of Trump, Massie argued Congress is required under federal law to allow a floor vote on national emergencies within 15 days of being declared by the president. Johnson’s measure would have altered the definition of a single legislative day to last several months.
“The vote tonight was to subvert the Constitution and the 1976 National Emergencies Act by literally saying a day is not a day,” Massie wrote on X.
Explaining his vote against the rule, Bacon said tariffs have been a “net negative” for the economy that significantly taxes American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers.
“Article I of the Constitution places authority over taxes and tariffs with Congress for a reason, but for too long, we have handed that authority to the executive branch,” Bacon posted on X. “It’s time for Congress to reclaim that responsibility. I also oppose using the rules votes to legislate. I want the debate and the right to vote on tariffs.”
Meanwhile, Kiley was largely opposed to the rule because the tariff provision was included in an otherwise unrelated bill.
“I think that, you know, it doesn’t really make sense to put something on the floor that’s not going to pass,” Kiley said, per Roll Call. “A rule is meant to bring a bill to the floor, set the parameters for debate. It’s not meant to smuggle in unrelated provisions that expand the power of leadership at the expense of our members.”
After the rule failed, the House Rules Committee convened to exclude the tariff language. The rule was intended to start a debate on three unrelated bills.
Last year, House Republicans successfully managed to block votes on tariffs until Jan. 31. This time, their effort failed.
House Democrats are now planning on proceeding to challenge Trump’s tariffs. A resolution disapproving of the tariffs on Canada is expected as soon as Wednesday.
HOUSE FAILS TO EXTEND BAN ON TRUMP TARIFF REPEAL VOTES IN MAJOR BLOW TO JOHNSON
After introducing the broad use of tariffs last April, Trump has frequently threatened to tax imported goods in order to push his administration’s agenda. Other times, he floats the levies based on a whim. This week, Trump said he raised tariffs on Switzerland from 30% to 39% because he “didn’t really like the way [Swiss politician Karin Keller-Sutter] talked to us.”
After Tuesday’s vote, the House joined the Senate in rebuking Trump’s signature economic policy. The upper chamber formally opposed the president’s tariffs in October when four Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — sided with Democrats.