The US Senate has voted 52-48 to overturn President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Brazil. This is the first of three bills aimed at dismantling his recent trade measures. | Photo credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
The Republican-led US Senate on Tuesday passed legislation that would reverse President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Brazil by ending the national emergency he declared in July in retaliation for Brazil’s prosecution of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, over an alleged coup attempt.
In the first of three tariff bills expected in the Senate this week, lawmakers approved the Brazilian measure 52-48, with five Republicans crossing party political lines to support the legislation.
Legislative measures to end Trump’s tariffs on Canada and his tariffs on other countries around the world are expected to come to a vote later this week.
The vote sent the Brazilian measure to the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, where it is expected to be suspended. Republicans in the House of Representatives have repeatedly voted to block action on legislation to end Trump’s tariffs.
The Senate action came as Trump was on a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea and is meeting with China’s Xi Jinping on Thursday for trade talks.
Democrats denounce ‘fake’ emergencies and cite price hikes for consumers
Senate Democrats, who argue that Trump has used bogus emergency declarations to justify some of his tariffs, have vowed to force repeated votes to reverse the trade actions as prices of affected goods and commodities rise, hurting American consumers.
“People are suffering. They’re paying more for food, more for clothing, more for health care, more for energy, more for building materials, because of President Trump’s tariff policies,” Senator Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat who authored the resolution, said on the Senate floor.
His measure was supported by Republican Senators Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul and Thom Tillis.
Other Republicans warned that the bill could undermine Trump’s efforts to negotiate new trade deals with other countries.
Bolsonaro’s conviction and tariff retaliation deepen political divisions
Brazilian officials have cited a $410 billion U.S. trade surplus with Brazil over the past 15 years. But Trump’s executive order accused the South American country of threatening US national security, foreign policy and the US economy, and of “politically persecuting” Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro was convicted of participating in an armed criminal organization, attempting to violently abolish democracy and organizing a coup, and sentenced to 27 years in prison. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has appealed his prison sentence to Brazil’s Supreme Court.
Trump raised tariffs on imports of most Brazilian goods to 50% and rebuked the Brazilian Supreme Court judge who oversaw the Bolsonaro case in July. The judge had issued search warrants and restraining orders against Bolsonaro over allegations that he initiated Trump’s interference in his criminal case accusing him of a plot to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from coming to power in 2023.
Trump said last week that he would consider lowering tariffs on Brazil under the right circumstances.
In April, the Senate passed legislation to end Trump’s tariffs on Canada but rejected another measure to rein in his global tariffs. Both were voted out of office in the House of Representatives.
Published on October 29, 2025
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