Chicago – February 12, 2026
The US and Canada relationship has been tense since President Donald Trump took office a second time and began levvying tariffs on the neighbor to the north and throwing around the term “51st state.”
On Wednesday, Congress delivered a rare bipartisan rebuke of Trump’s tariffs on Canada — even as the president escalated the spat this week.
On Wednesday, the House voted to block Trump’s tariffs on Canada by passing a resolution introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York that would rescind the tariffs Trump imposed on the neighbor under a national emergency declaration.
As tensions with the US’s closest trading partner continue to escalate, the measure cleared the chamber 219 to 211, with six Republicans joining Democrats to defy Trump and GOP leadership. One Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against it.
The vote came a day after Republican leaders failed to block the effort through a procedural maneuver, when three GOP lawmakers sided with Democrats to allow debate to move forward. Trump publicly warned Republicans not to cross him and threatened political retaliation against anyone who voted against tariffs.
