• The Senate voted 49-49 against a resolution to block President Trump's tariffs.
• Three Republicans joined Democrats to support the resolution, which aimed to terminate Trump's national emergency declaration for tariffs.
• Absences of key senators contributed to the failure of the vote.
• The U.S. economy contracted for the first time in three years, raising concerns about the impact of Trump's tariffs.
• The White House has threatened to veto any similar legislation moving forward.

The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to block a bipartisan effort to terminate President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, which many lawmakers have criticized during a time of economic stagnation. The evenly split vote, 49-49, highlighted the division in the Senate, with Democrats and a few Republicans arguing that Trump's trade policies are causing significant economic harm amid reports of a contracting economy, according to CBS News, HuffPost, and Reuters.

The resolution aimed to terminate the national emergency that allowed Trump to impose a 10% baseline tariff on numerous trading partners, but it did not gain enough traction, primarily due to the absence of Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Mitch McConnell, who had previously supported similar measures. Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski were the three Republicans voting in favor, signaling bipartisan concern despite their party majority, according to The Jakarta Post and Al Jazeera.

The Commerce Department's report showing that the U.S. economy contracted by 0.3% during the first quarter of 2025 has intensified the scrutiny of Trump's tariffs. This marked the first economic decline in three years, prompting fears of ongoing consumer price increases and a potential recession as tariffs impact trade dynamics, as noted by The New York Times and HuffPost.

Despite the Senate's failure to pass the resolution, proponents argue that ongoing debates about tariffs are critical as government spending could significantly affect the economy in the coming months. Paul mentioned the need for Congress to reassert its authority over trade policy, a sentiment echoed by Wyden, who stressed that lawmakers must play an active role in regulatory measures affecting the economy, as reported by CBS News and Reuters.

The White House's opposition to any moves attempting to curtail Trump's tariffs is firm, having signaled their intent to veto such legislation and reinforcing the belief within the Republican leadership that maintaining existing tariffs will ultimately yield positive economic outcomes, as emphasized by House Speaker Mike Johnson and noted in reports by The Jakarta Post and The New York Times.