By Ginika Igboke
The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 10 narrowly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have temporarily barred legal or legislative challenges to President Donald Trump’s tariffs until July.
The provision was included in a broader procedural rule designed to advance debate on three unrelated bills. It failed in a 217–214 vote. House Republicans initially adopted a rule blocking tariff challenges in March 2025 and later extended it through January.
Three Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), and Don Bacon (R-Neb.)—joined all 214 Democrats in voting against the measure.
The outcome poses a challenge for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who leads a narrow 218–214 Republican majority and can afford to lose no more than one GOP vote on party-line measures.
Democrats are seeking a vote as early as Feb. 11 to terminate Trump’s use of a national emergency declaration to impose punitive tariffs on Canadian goods. Additional resolutions have also been introduced to overturn tariffs on Mexico and other countries.
Bacon said in a post on X that Congress “needs to be able to debate on tariffs.”
“Tariffs have been a ‘net negative’ for the economy and are a significant tax that American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers are paying,” he wrote.
Trump has defended the import duties as necessary to restore wealth to the United States, reduce the longstanding trade deficit, and encourage the return of domestic manufacturing. He has also floated the possibility of using tariff revenue to fund $2,000 payments to middle- and low-income Americans, signaling that such payments could occur later in 2026.
In a recent interview, Trump said he is still seriously considering issuing the checks.
On Feb. 9, Trump halted approval of a new bridge project linking Ontario and Michigan while criticizing Ontario’s liquor policies and Ottawa’s trade dealings with China. He threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods if Canada moves forward with trade arrangements that would reduce duties on Chinese electric vehicles—from 100 percent to 6.1 percent for the first 49,000 units—in exchange for China easing tariffs on Canadian agricultural products.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that the administration would not lift tariffs on Canada, arguing that the United States cannot allow its northern border to be used “as a way for Chinese EVs to come into the U.S.”
Other Cabinet officials echoed that stance. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Canada “will live to regret the day they let the Chinese Communist Party flood the market with their EVs.”
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