So, like, there was this big ol’ bipartisan bill that tried to reverse those major tariffs that Trump slapped on almost everyone this month, right? Well, it totally flopped in the Senate ’cause it ended up in a tie, 49-49, with three Republican dudes — Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski — teaming up with all the Democrats to support the resolution. The whole point was to shut down the national emergency Trump declared to push through his global tariffs. But guess what? Mitch McConnell and Sheldon Whitehouse were MIA for the vote, and the bill needed a simple majority to pass.
Paul and this other dude, Ron Wyden, pulled some legislative trickery to force the Senate to vote on it, ’cause you know, Republicans have the upper hand there. Later that day, the Senate ended up voting 50-49 to squash a Democratic motion that would’ve let them push for another vote on the tariffs next week. It’s like a never-ending game of political chess, ya know?
Even if the bill somehow managed to pass, it probably wouldn’t have made it through the House, which is controlled by the GOP. Plus, the White House made it crystal clear that Trump would’ve vetoed it faster than you can say “tariff.” Back in April, the Senate did manage to approve a resolution to block tariffs on Canada, but this time around, things didn’t go as planned.
On the day the tariffs kicked in, Trump suddenly decided to hit pause on raising them for most countries for 90 days. Meanwhile, he cranked up the tariffs on China to a whopping 145%. And to add to the drama, the Commerce Department spilled the tea that the U.S. economy shrunk by 0.3% in the first quarter of the year. Trump, of course, tried to downplay it all and just told everyone to “BE PATIENT!!!” on Truth Social. Classic Trump move.
The Trump admin folks keep insisting that they’re making progress in trade talks with countries facing higher tariffs, but they’re not spilling any deets. It’s like they’re keeping us all in the dark, playing this mysterious game of trade negotiations. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer even dropped hints that they’re close to settling with a few countries in the next few weeks.
Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso wasn’t having any of it, though. He straight-up called out the senators who forced the vote, saying they’re just wasting time. But hey, at least some senators like Grassley and Cantwell are trying to come up with a bill that would make the tariffs expire unless Congress gives ’em the green light. It’s like a compromise, you know?
One senator even said, “It’s a political exercise. It has no hope in them in the House, and I don’t do messaging bills.” So, like, maybe this whole tariff saga is just a big political show. Who knows? But hey, that’s politics for you. It’s all just a game of strategy and power plays. And we’re all just along for the ride.
