House Republicans are moving to turn off Democrats’ ability to force a vote on rescinding the sweeping global tariffs imposed by President Trump as part of his “Liberation Day” announcement.
Language tucked into procedural rule legislation setting up debate on an unrelated matter — the budget resolution blueprint for Trump’s legislative agenda — removes the ability for Democrats or rebellious Republicans to circumvent GOP leadership using an expedited process to rescind the tariffs until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. A vote on the rule is set for Wednesday afternoon.
It does not, however, prevent GOP leadership from deciding to bring up the legislation, or turn off other paths to force a vote on the matter like a discharge petition.
Still, the move represents another case of leaders stifling the tools of the minority and deferring to Trump. Republicans made the same move last month, blocking Democrats’ ability to force a vote on repealing the tariffs put in place earlier in the year on Canada, Mexico and China until the end of the year.
“I’ve made it very clear, I think the President has executive authority. It’s an appropriate level of authority to deal with unfair trade practices,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Wednesday when asked about the move. “That’s part of the role of the President is to negotiate with other countries, the other heads of state, and he is doing that, in my estimation, very effectively right now.”
The move comes a day after group of House Democrats — led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.), and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) — introduced a privileged resolution to end the national emergency that Trump declared on April 2 that is the foundation of his authority to implement the tariffs.
Trump utilized the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in order to implement the April 2 tariffs, just as he did with the tariffs on Mexico and Canada earlier in the year. The National Emergencies Act outlines an expedited process for congressional action on repealing a national emergency if it is not acted on in 15 days.
But the new language from Republicans essentially pauses that clock, saying that days from now until Sept. 30 do not count.
The language reads: “Provides that each day during the period from April 9, 2025, through September 30, 2025, shall not constitute a calendar day for purposes of section 202 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622) with respect to a joint resolution terminating a national emergency declared by the President on April 2, 2025.”
Democrats railed against the rule, with Meeks pledging to pursue other avenues to force a vote.
“They can run but they can’t hide. At some point they’re going to have to vote,” Meeks told The Hill. “We’re not going to stop. The American people have a right to know whether you’re for the tariffs or against them. And if they vote this rule in, that will show that they’re trying to hide.”
Meeks also said Democrats will pursue a discharge petition to try to force action on the resolution, though discharge petitions are rarely successful.
House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) pushed back on the criticism from Democrats by noting they used the same legislative maneuver on other topics to block Republican actions in the past.
“As you know, we keep good records here in the Rules Committee, as you’ve pointed out today. And while it’s well within the minority’s right to cry foul on this rule … on the latest national emergency announced by President Trump, they should really tread carefully on their arguments,” Foxx said.
One rule approved in 2021, using very similar language that Republicans used, paused the expedited process on repealing a national emergency for 18 months until the end of the 117th Congress. That prevented Republicans from forcing consideration of a resolution from Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) to end the COVID-19 national emergency.
Mychael Schnell contributed.
