The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday evening approved a resolution intended to terminate the national emergency declared by President Donald Trump that authorized tariffs on goods from Canada. The measure passed by a 219 to 211 margin, with six Republicans breaking with most of their party to join Democrats in supporting the move.
The timing of the vote follows a separate House action earlier this week in which lawmakers voted to overturn a procedural block on measures that challenge the president's tariffs. Together, the steps reflect mounting congressional activity directed at the trade measures.
By approving the resolution, the House now sends the matter to the U.S. Senate. However, the outlook in that chamber is uncertain: even if the Senate were to pass the measure, a presidential veto is widely expected and would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to overturn. Given that threshold, the resolution faces long odds of becoming law without executive assent.
Supporters of the House measure framed the tariffs as harmful to American consumers. A non-partisan study by the Tax Foundation cited in congressional debate estimated the tariffs would translate into an average tax-like increase of $1,000 per U.S. household in 2025 and $1,300 in 2026.
Those tariffs were initially imposed at a 25% rate in early-2025 and were later raised to 35% on goods not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. More recently, the president has threatened to escalate tariffs to 100% on Canada, a step described by critics as effectively imposing a trade embargo should Canada pursue a trade deal with China.
Wednesday's vote also opens the door to additional congressional challenges to other tariff measures, including the so-called "liberation day" levies introduced last year. While the House action does not by itself change policy, it signals a degree of bipartisan concern in Congress about the domestic economic impact of the administration's trade steps.
With the resolution now in the Senate, its future will depend on the level of support among senators and whether the White House chooses to sustain or withdraw a veto. For the moment, the House passage represents a clear expression of opposition in at least one chamber of Congress to the tariffs imposed on Canada.