The Senate narrowly shot down a resolution to block President Donald Trump's global scheme of "reciprocal tariffs" on Wednesday evening, NBC News reported.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), one of the resolution's cosponsors, alongside Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), joined with Democrats on the measure, which needed a simple majority to pass. However, the bill came up short because two senators expected to support the resolution were absent.
One was Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who is currently traveling overseas, and the other was Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who was reportedly unable to attend due to illness.
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"Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Paul used a legislative procedure to force a vote on the measure in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority," noted the report. "Even if it passed, the measure likely wouldn't have been taken up in the GOP-controlled House. Republicans there recently voted to add a hurdle for lawmakers seeking to quickly take up resolutions related to Trump's tariff authority. The White House also said Tuesday that Trump would veto the resolution if it reached his desk."
Nonetheless, the bill's sponsors were hoping to put political pressure on the White House, similar to the more narrow measure passed earlier this year to block Trump's tariffs against Canada.
"Trump administration officials have repeatedly claimed in recent days that they've been making progress in negotiations to reach trade deals with some of the countries that have faced higher U.S. tariffs," the report continued. However, officials "haven't disclosed any details and have dodged questions about when exactly announcements could be made about agreements reached."
