The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved a resolution to overturn President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs against Brazil, challenging his use of emergency powers to impose trade restrictions linked to the prosecution of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
The measure, which passed narrowly 52–48, would terminate the national emergency Trump declared in July after Brazil convicted Bolsonaro of attempting to overthrow the government.
Five Republican senators, Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, and Thom Tillis, joined Democrats in supporting the bill.
The legislation now heads to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where it is expected to stall. House Republicans have repeatedly blocked efforts to roll back Trump’s tariff policies.
Tuesday’s vote marked the first in a series of Senate actions this week aimed at repealing Trump’s trade restrictions on several countries, including Canada.
The president is currently in Asia on a five-day trip, with a high-profile meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for Thursday.
Senate Democrats argue that Trump has abused emergency authorities to justify punitive tariffs that have raised consumer prices and strained U.S. trade relations.
“People are suffering. They’re paying more for food, clothes, healthcare, energy, and building materials because of President Trump’s tariff policy,” said Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who sponsored the resolution.
Republicans opposing the measure warned it could weaken Trump’s leverage in negotiating new trade deals. “We need to preserve the president’s flexibility on trade,” one GOP senator said.
Trump’s July order raised tariffs on most Brazilian imports to 50% and sanctioned a Brazilian Supreme Court justice overseeing Bolsonaro’s coup-related trial.
The White House accused Brazil of “political persecution” of Bolsonaro and of threatening U.S. national security and economic interests.
Bolsonaro, a close ally of Trump, was convicted of organizing an armed coup and attempting to abolish Brazil’s democratic institutions. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison but has appealed to the Supreme Court, denying any wrongdoing.
Brazilian officials have condemned the U.S. tariffs as politically motivated, noting that the United States has maintained a $410 billion trade surplus with Brazil over the past 15 years.
The Senate’s action underscores growing bipartisan unease with Trump’s tariff strategy but is unlikely to immediately change policy. In April, the Senate approved a similar measure to end Trump’s tariffs on Canada, only for the House to block it.
Trump, who last week hinted he might “consider reducing tariffs on Brazil under the right circumstances,” has made aggressive trade measures a cornerstone of his foreign and economic agenda.
For now, the Senate vote serves as a symbolic rebuke of that policy, and a sign of deepening divisions within Trump’s own Republican Party over his approach to global trade and foreign relations.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
