The incoming Democratic majorities have started to tell us what they will do first, and rolling back President Trump’s tariffs, starting with Canada, is near the top of the list.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, who is poised to chair the Senate Finance Committee, told The Wall Street Journal that he is “already talking” to colleagues about legislation to undo the tariffs on Canadian goods, the New York Post reported. “There is overwhelming support for repealing the tariffs on products from Canada,” Wyden said.
He made clear that Canada is only the start. “Ultimately, Congress must take away the president’s ability to unilaterally and arbitrarily impose tariffs,” he said.
Just love how uneducated both Americans and Canadians truly are. Here are just some historic tariffs Canada hits America with. Milk: 270% Cheese: 245% Butter: 298% Chicken: 238% Sausages: 69.9% Barley seed: 57.8% Bovine/meat: 26.5% Cars: 25% HVAC: 45% Vacuums: 35% Cable boxes: 35% TVs: 45% Steel: 25% Aluminum: 45% Copper: 48% Take a guess how much financial aide the U.S. sends Canada EVERY YEAR and how much military defense $$$$ we provide?
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) February 2, 2025
Part of a bigger 100-day plan
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries put tariffs in the same opening agenda. In a letter to colleagues the day after the election, he said the new majority would make it a priority in its first 100 days to reverse Medicaid cuts, restore SNAP funding, extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, end Trump’s tariffs and stop the war in Iran, The Epoch Times reported.
“The days of the House functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump Administration are over,” Jeffries wrote. Rep. Ted Lieu of California, the incoming caucus chair, said Democrats will pass bills to reverse the Medicaid cuts, restore the ACA credits, stop the tariffs and end the Iran war.
The Post reported that the tariffs on Canada include 50 percent levies on a range of consumer goods and appliances, and that border states such as Michigan and Ohio have borne much of the cost. According to the Journal’s reporting, Democrats may force votes on tariffs covering specific unpopular items.
The veto math
Democrats will need Republican votes to get past a Senate filibuster, and a two-thirds vote in both chambers to override a veto, which people close to the President expect him to use, according to the Journal. Kelly Ann Shaw, who served on the National Economic Council in Trump’s first term, told the Journal that “the president has been moving forward on his trade agenda irrespective of the makeup of Congress.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the Democrats’ plan, saying repeal would lower costs for American families. Trump, campaigning in Iowa, said, “We have the concept of a very good deal with Canada.”
The bottom line
Tariffs have a real cost, and I will not pretend otherwise. While they may be a net win, families in border states and farm country have felt it, and voters said so last week. If a trade deal with Canada is close, the President should finish it and bring those costs down.
But I do not want a new Congress handing Ottawa a win in the middle of a negotiation. Canada has spent years leaning on American markets and American defense while making its own choices on trade with China. Pulling our leverage off the table before a deal is signed is how you get a worse deal.
Wyden’s larger goal deserves attention too. Congress has the constitutional power over tariffs, and it is fair to debate how much it has delegated. That debate should be about the long-term balance of power, not about stripping one President of a tool in the middle of a fight.
Democrats ran on costs and affordability. If they want credit for lower prices, they should work with the White House on a better Canada deal instead of tearing up the leverage that could produce one.