U.S. Senate passes bill to terminate Trump tariffs against Brazil

The Republican-led U.S. Senate approved legislation on Tuesday to revoke President Donald Trump's tariffs against Brazil by ending the national emergency he declared in July. This emergency was a response to Brazil's prosecution of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, for an alleged coup attempt.

In the first of three tariff bills expected this week in the Senate, lawmakers approved the Brazil measure 52-48, with five Republicans crossing party lines to support the measure.

Legislative moves to end Trump's tariffs on Canada and other countries worldwide are expected to be voted on later this week.

The vote forwarded the Brazil measure to the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives, where it is likely to be blocked. House Republicans have repeatedly voted against taking action on legislation to remove Trump's tariffs.

Senate Democrats, who argue that Trump has used false emergency declarations to justify some of his tariffs, have pledged to force repeated votes to reverse the trade measures as prices on affected goods and commodities increase, hurting American consumers.

In April, the Senate passed legislation to end Trump's tariffs against Canada but rejected another measure to limit his global tariffs. Neither measure advanced in the House.

Brazilian officials have cited a $410 billion U.S. trade surplus with Brazil over 15 years. However, Trump's executive order accused the South American country of threatening U.S. national security, foreign policy, and the U.S. economy, as well as "politically persecuting" Bolsonaro.

(Cover: U.S. Senator Rand Paul walks through the Ohio Clock Corridor outside the Senate Chamber on July 1, 2025 on Capitol Hill in Washington. /VCG)