US House votes to block Trump's tariffs on Canada — what happens next?

Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to reject President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, in a rare judgment against the administration's policies.

The resolution, brought by the Democrats, was passed by 219 votes to 211, with six Republicans siding with the effort against Trump.

The rare rebuke of Trump's policies signals a growing unease over the White House’s economic agenda ahead of the midterm elections, where Trump has placed heavy focus on affordability.

Six Republicans joined Democrats as Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York authored the resolution to repeal the president’s tariffs on Canada.

Donald Trump threatens serious consequences

Wednesday's vote on US tariffs on Canada did not sit well with Trump, who took to Truth Social to threaten the House Representatives who went against him with serious consequences.

“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!” Trump wrote in a social media post. “TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege,” he wrote moments after the resolution was passed.

Trump says that US trade partners could be forced to sit at the negotiation table with the power of tariffs.

What happens next?

The resolution at the House seeks to end the national emergency Trump declared to impose the US tariffs on Canada and other countries as he weighs quitting the US-Mexico-Canada trade pact he signed during his first term. The resolution will now move to the US Senate for approval.

Even if the resolution passes the Senate, it is likely to be vetoed by Trump, who has the power as president.

This is because joint resolutions need to be signed by the president to become law, or passed by a two-thirds vote to override a veto. Therefore, it is unlikely that lawmakers can force Trump to abandon his signature economic policy through legislation alone.

However, the vote does represent a growing pressure from both Republicans and Democrats to change the administration's course months ahead of the midterm elections.

The Senate has already voted to reject Trump's tariffs on Canada and other countries in a show of displeasure.

Trump recently threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Canadian goods over the country's proposed trade deal with China, intensifying a conflict with the longtime US ally and its President, Mike Carney.

Meeks is expected to force other tariff-related legislation onto the floor, including measures to end the White House duties on Brazil and Mexico, according to Bloomberg.

“It’s time we end the so-called national emergency, because the only emergency here is the economic one created by Trump’s tariffs,” the Democrat said on Wednesday.

“Americans are paying more for health care and their daily essentials during an affordability crisis, all because of a manufactured emergency and one man’s ego,” he added.

Trump's country-specific tariffs, justified under emergency economic powers, have also faced legal challenges, and the Supreme Court is due to rule on their legality in the near future.