The vote came hours after new data showed GDP had shrunk for the first time in three years, adding to GOP anxiety over a shaky economy. But the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a GOP tariff critic, and Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), helped the vote from becoming a legislative blemish for the White House.

Republicans, though uneasy, have largely allowed Trump to use tariffs as bargaining tools in trade talks. However, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY), who jointly introduced the resolution, insisted on a vote. 

In a speech on the Senate floor, Wyden accused Trump of damaging the economy and eroding U.S. standing with tariffs the White House largely paused for 90 days in the face of a stock market crash.

“Trump has trashed America’s credibility. He has not just made it unlikely for his administration to get a good deal for American workers, he has hurt every future president who wants to strike trade deals,” Wyden said.

The White House maintains that any economic pain is temporary, while Trump on Wednesday blamed former President Joe Biden for the state of the economy.

Since the resolution is considered privileged, Senate GOP leaders could not block it procedurally, setting off an attempt to minimize defections on a vote where they could only afford to lose three Republicans.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who voted for the measure, told reporters on Wednesday the resolution has flaws and may be overly expansive, but said it effectively conveyed her concern that the U.S. should be more selective with tariffs.

“It is not perfect, I think it’s too broad, but it sends the message that I want to send, that we really need to be far more discriminatory in imposing these tariffs and not treat allies like Canada the way we treat adversaries,” Collins said ahead of the vote.

The other two defections were Paul and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

The resolution was not expected to be taken up in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) passed language blocking Democratic efforts to curb Trump’s tariff powers. Still, the Senate vote served as a litmus test of GOP patience with the tariff policy.

The White House had threatened to veto the resolution earlier this week, saying it would undermine economic and national security. 

The veto threat comes after the Senate voted earlier this month to revoke Trump’s more narrow emergency declaration for tariffs on Canada. Four GOP senators supported the earlier effort: Paul, Collins, Murkowski, and McConnell.

The U.S. economy shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its first contraction in three years, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The decline came as companies rushed to import goods ahead of looming tariff hikes, fueling a surge in supply.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) did not vote for the tariff repeal, previously calling it a partisan “shirts and skins exercise,” but signs of unease over Trump’s tariff strategy continue to surface within the party.

“The voters are largely driven by the question, are you better off then you were – fill in the blanks – years ago. And clearly, if we have this kind of froth this time next year, then it’s a real challenge for Republicans,” Tillis said, speaking with reporters on Wednesday afternoon. “You can’t look at this today and recognize it for anything other than being unacceptable.”

Some Republicans continue to argue the new economic data reflects ongoing hardships for workers rather than Trump’s performance. 

“I don’t think this number is any reflection on the current president. I mean, this is the economy he inherited, but it underscores that working people have not only had a raise in years, they’ve been going in the wrong direction,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). “I mean gas prices, grocery prices up, wages down. We’ve got to turn that around.”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) defended Trump’s tariff strategy as a necessary step to revive U.S. manufacturing, saying it may cause short-term volatility but will ultimately benefit American workers and companies.

“President Trump is doing the right thing,” Tuberville said on Wednesday afternoon. “The tariffs are working. It’s helping American companies and bottom line, at the end of the day, we have got to do something to help the American people and get manufacturing back to the United States. We’re going to struggle for a while, but good things will happen in the future.”

RAND PAUL REVIVES GOP TRADE FIGHT WITH VOTE ON ‘LIBERATION DAY‘ TARIFFS

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) condemned the tariffs as harmful and pointless, predicting that despite GOP reluctance, voter pressure will eventually force lawmakers to act.

“These tariffs are a disaster. They serve no positive purpose at all, and there’s a lot of hesitation on the part of many of my Republican colleagues because of the power of Trump,” Welch said on Wednesday afternoon. “But, at a certain point, they’re going to be listening to the power of their constituents who want no more tariffs.”

Trump administration officials have recently asserted that trade talks with tariff-hit nations are moving in a positive direction, but they’ve largely avoided specifics.

David Sivak contributed to this report.