Surrender tariff powers

House again votes to surrender tariff powers to Trump

The vote was gaveled down after a drawn-out struggle on the floor with a band of Republican holdouts.

By Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy

House Republicans voted in near lockstep Tuesday to again cede congressional power over tariffs to President Donald Trump.

A measure that effectively blocks challenges to Trump’s sweeping global tariff declarations through March 2026 was adopted on a 213-211 vote. The vote was gaveled down only after GOP whips had a drawn-out struggle on the floor with a band of Republicans who initially opposed the legislation before flipping to yes. The vote was held open for more than a half-hour as they worked to bring the members back on board.

GOP leaders flipped several of the Republican holdouts with a promise to add language to a forthcoming measure set for a vote later in the week that would curtail the block on tariff votes from March 31 by at least two months, per two Republicans with direct knowledge of the agreement.

Three Republicans — Reps. Kevin Kiley of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana — ended up joining Democrats to oppose the measure, a “rule” that also teed up several Washington-related criminal justice bills for debate.

“I think this is a misuse of what rules are for, and I think it’s bad for the representative process,” Kiley said of the tariff provisions.