“It's our turn to prosper, and in so doing, use trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt,” Trump claimed.

After hearing Trump’s tariff plans, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, “it's even worse than we thought.” Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney noted that while Trump’s tariffs, “fundamentally change the international trading system,” the president has “preserved a number of important elements of our relationship.”

While the 25% tariffs on global steel and aluminum, including from Canada, took effect in March, and automobile tariffs took effect at midnight Wednesday, Canada notably avoided inclusion in Trump's new list of countries subject to 10% baseline reciprocal tariffs taking effect April 9. The U.K. is facing the 10% reciprocal tariffs and the European Union is facing 20%, with all countries now also dealing with the 25% automobile tariff. Future tariffs may target other industries like lumber.

National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Buddy Hughes noted that, "President Trump recognized the importance of critical construction inputs for housing and chose to continue current exemptions for Canadian and Mexican products, with a specific exemption for lumber from any new tariffs at this time." 

The vote aimed at blocking Trump's emergency declaration that had enabled the implementation of a 25% tariff against Canada, but the measure is effectively dead on arrival in the GOP-majority House of Representatives. The Senate vote followed a floor debate featuring the resolution's lead sponsor, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), who marshaled an unprecedented coalition of business, labor, and policy groups against the emergency powers measure.

"The right way to deal with any issue at the border with Canada is to work with Canada, not wage a trade war against them," Kaine declared in his closing remarks before the vote. Kaine's legislation gained Senator Rand Paul's (R-Kentucky) sponsorship in late March. For Paul, it's a matter of principle.

"Our Constitution doesn't allow any one man or woman to raise taxes; it must be the body of the Congress," Paul said.

The mostly symbolic resolution succeeded as several key Republican senators joined Paul and defied intense pressure from President Trump, including Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Sheet Metal and Construction Industry Reaction

In making his case, Kaine cited a breadth of organizations opposing the tariffs, from traditional business groups to labor unions. The AFL-CIO warned the tariffs "will only cause unnecessary economic pain for workers and businesses," while the United Steel Workers called them "misdirected, unsubstantiated by facts, and harmful to the very workers we represent."

While the USW has historically supported tariffs against unfair trade practices from overseas competitors, they view these Canada-targeted measures as destructive to an integrated North American steel market that helps both countries compete globally.

In a strongly worded letter to senators before the vote, North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) urged support for the resolution, representing more than 3 million unionized construction workers across the U.S. and Canada: "Canada and the U.S. are not competitors, enemies, or low-wage exporting zones; we are trusted allies in our joint pursuit of shared prosperity."

The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA), representing more than 3,500 construction firms nationwide, added its voice to the opposition. In a letter supporting the resolution, SMACNA Executive Director Stanley E. Kolbe, Jr. warned that "tariff penalties aimed at Canada for non-trade objectives have already caused harsh and unnecessary economic pain for U.S. workers and harm to our nation's construction and related metal fabricating, as well as HVAC equipment manufacturing businesses." 

Kolbe emphasized that with demand for electrical, mechanical and sheet metal supplies far exceeding domestic supply, "establishing record level tariffs on U.S. purchases from Canada is counterproductive at best." While supportive of "Buy American" provisions, he noted that SMACNA members often must purchase USMCA-compliant Canadian metals and equipment to meet challenging budgetary and project guidelines.