House votes to slap back Trump's tariffs on Canada in rare bipartisan
rebuke
[February 12, 2026]
By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Wednesday to slap back President
Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, a rare if largely symbolic rebuke of
the White House agenda as Republicans joined Democrats over the
objections of GOP leadership.
The tally, 219-211, was among the first times the House, controlled by
Republicans, has confronted the president over a signature policy, and
drew instant recrimination from Trump himself. The resolution seeks to
end the national emergency Trump declared to impose the tariffs, though
actually undoing the policy would require support from the president,
which is highly unlikely. It next goes to the Senate.
Trump believes in the power of tariffs to force U.S. trade partners to
the negotiating table. But lawmakers are facing unrest back home from
businesses caught in the trade wars and constituents navigating
pocketbook issues and high prices.
“Today’s vote is simple, very simple: Will you vote to lower the cost of
living for the American family or will you keep prices high out of
loyalty to one person -- Donald J. Trump?” said Rep. Gregory Meeks of
New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who
authored the resolution.
Within minutes, as the gavel struck, Trump fired off a stern warning to
those in the Republican Party who would dare to cross him.
“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS
will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that
includes Primaries!” the president posted on social media.
The high-stakes moment provides a snapshot of the House’s unease with
the president’s direction, especially ahead of the midterm elections as
economic issues resonate among voters. The Senate has already voted to
reject Trump’s tariffs on Canada and other countries in a show of
displeasure. But both chambers would have to approve the tariff
rollbacks, and send the resolution to Trump for the president's
signature — or veto.
Six House Republicans voted for the resolution, and one Democrat voted
against it.
From Canada, Ontario, Premier Doug Ford on social media called the vote
“an important victory with more work ahead.” He thanked lawmakers from
both parties “who stood up in support of free trade and economic growth
between our two great countries. Let’s end the tariffs and together
build a more prosperous and secure future.”
Trump recently threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from
Canada over that country's proposed China trade deal, intensifying a
feud with the longtime U.S. ally and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
GOP defections forced the vote
House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to prevent this showdown.
Johnson insisted lawmakers wait for a pending Supreme Court ruling in a
lawsuit about the tariffs. He engineered a complicated rules change to
prevent floor action. But Johnson’s strategy collapsed late Tuesday, as
Republicans peeled off during a procedural vote to ensure the Democratic
measure was able to advance.
“The president’s trade policies have been of great benefit,” Johnson,
R-La., had said. “And I think the sentiment is that we allow a little
more runway for this to be worked out between the executive branch and
the judicial branch.”
Late Tuesday evening, Johnson could be seen speaking to holdout
Republican lawmakers as the GOP leadership team struggled to shore up
support during a lengthy procedural vote, but the numbers lined up
against him.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news
conference at Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“We’re disappointed,” Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House’s
National Economic Council, told reporters at the White House on
Wednesday morning. “The president will make sure they don’t repeal his
tariffs.”
Terminating Trump's emergency
The resolution put forward by Meeks would terminate the national
emergency that Trump declared a year ago as one of his executive orders.
The administration claimed illicit drug flow from Canada constitutes an
unusual and extraordinary threat that allows the president to slap
tariffs on imported goods outside the terms of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada
trade agreement.
The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep.
Brian Mast of Florida, said the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. is a dire
national emergency and the policy must be left in place.
“Let’s be clear again about what this resolution is and what it’s not.
It’s not a debate about tariffs. You can talk about those, but that’s
not really what it is,” Mast said. “This is Democrats trying to ignore
that there is a fentanyl crisis.”
Experts say fentanyl produced by cartels in Mexico is largely smuggled
into the U.S. from land crossings in California and Arizona. Fentanyl is
also made in Canada and smuggled into the U.S., but to a much lesser
extent.
Torn between Trump and tariffs
Ahead of voting, some rank-and-file Republican lawmakers expressed
unease over the choices ahead as Democrats — and a few renegade
Republicans — impressed on their colleagues the need to flex their power
as the legislative branch rather than ceding so much power to the
president to take authority over trade and tariff policy.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said he was unpersuaded by Johnson’s call to
wait until the Supreme Court makes its decision about the legality of
Trump’s tariffs. He voted for passage.
“Why doesn’t the Congress stand on its own two feet and say that we’re
an independent branch?” Bacon said. “We should defend our authorities. I
hope the Supreme Court does, but if we don’t do it, shame on us.”
Bacon, who is retiring rather than facing reelection, also argued that
tariffs are bad economic policy.
Other Republicans had to swiftly make up their minds after Johnson's
gambit — which would have paused the calendar days to prevent the
measure from coming forward — was turned back.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to have to support our president,”
said Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said he doesn't want to tie the president's
hands on trade and would support the tariffs on Canada “at this time.”
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Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto and Seung Min Kim
contributed to this report.
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