The U.S. Senate voted thrice this week on resolutions seeking to block President Donald Trump's tariffs. All three resolutions passed because a handful of Republican senators joined forces with their Democratic colleagues.
Invoking his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, Trump declared a national emergency on April 2 — which he dubbed "Liberation Day" — and announced that he was imposing a 10% tariff on most imports to the U.S. and additional duties on select trading partners.
The protectionist course charted by the White House ruffled feathers in both parties, especially those of liberals committed to untrammeled free trade.
When trying unsuccessfully to kill Trump's tariffs earlier this year, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul wrote, "The Constitution clearly states that Congress, not the president, has the power of the purse. All new taxes (which is what a tariff is) are supposed to originate in the House of Representatives before going to the Senate for approval."
