Four GOP lawmakers defied President Donald Trump and voted with Democratic legislators to repeal the tariffs levied against Canada by the 47th president.
The resolution presented by Democrats within the Senate, led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), aimed to repeal an emergency declaration enacted by Trump in February to levy tariffs against the U.S. ally, The Hill reported.
Trump administration officials have frequently justified the emergency declaration by stating that it aims to address the flow of fentanyl across the US border.
Republican Senators Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul voted with Democrats to rescind the declaration despite Trump taking to his own social media app, Truth Social, to rant about them before the vote.
"Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul, also of Kentucky, will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy," Trump wrote.
The president reiterated his administration's stated cause for the tariffs, arguing that Democrats and defecting Republican Senators would be responsible for the nation's drug crisis if they repealed the February resolution.
"They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels. The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four, in that it is not going anywhere because the House will never approve it and I, as your President, will never sign it. Why are they allowing Fentanyl to pour into our Country unchecked, and without penalty," he continued.
Trump proceeded to say they were "suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome," a term coined by conservatives to describe reactions perceived as irrational towards the president. "To the people of the Great States of Kentucky, Alaska, and Maine, please contact these Senators and get them to FINALLY adhere to Republican Values and Ideals," Trump added.
The vote occurred just hours after Trump declared his intention to implement extensive tariffs on some of the U.S.'s major trading partners, including the European Union and China.
"For nations that treat us badly, we will calculate the combined rate of all their tariffs, non-monetary barriers, and other forms of cheating. And because we are being very kind ... We will charge them approximately half of what they charge us," Trump said, revealing his new tariff plan.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins voiced concerns about Trump's resolution, believing that it was "huge mistake" that would result in "disruption in the economies of both countries" on Monday night.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell echoed this sentiment.
"With so much at stake globally, the last thing we need is to pick fights with the very friends with whom we should be working with to protect against China's predatory and unfair trade practices," he told The Hill.
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