US Senate passes bill to terminate Trump tariffs against Brazil

The Senate’s Brazil bill heads to the Republican-led House, where it is expected to stall amid opposition to ending Trump’s tariffs. (EPA Images pic)WASHINGTON: The Republican-led US Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that would overturn President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Brazil by terminating the national emergency he declared in July in retaliation for Brazil’s prosecution of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, for an alleged coup attempt.In the first of three tariff bills expected in the Senate this week, lawmakers approved the Brazil measure 52-48, with five Republicans crossing partisan lines to back the legislation.Legislative measures to terminate Trump’s tariffs on Canada and his tariffs against other countries around the globe are expected to come up for votes later this week.The vote sent the Brazil measure on to the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives, where it is expected to be shelved. House Republicans have repeatedly voted to block action on legislation to end Trump’s tariffs.The Senate action came while Trump is on a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea and is scheduled to meet with China’s Xi Jinping for trade talks on Thursday.Senate Democrats, who contend that Trump has used bogus emergency declarations to justify some of his tariffs, have pledged to force repeated votes to undo the trade actions as prices on affected goods and commodities rise, hurting American consumers.“People are suffering. They’re paying more for food, more for clothes, more for healthcare, more for energy, more for building supplies because of President Trump’s tariff policy,” Senator Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat who authored the resolution, said on the Senate floor.His measure was backed by Republican Senators Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul and Thom Tillis.Other Republicans warned the bill could undermine Trump’s efforts to negotiate new trade deals with other countries.Brazilian officials have cited a US$410 billion US trade surplus with Brazil over 15 years. But Trump’s executive order accused the South American country of threatening US national security, foreign policy and the US economy, as well as “politically persecuting” Bolsonaro.Bolsonaro has been convicted of taking part in an armed criminal organisation, attempting to violently abolish democracy and organising a coup, and has been sentenced to 27 years in prison. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and appealed his prison sentence to Brazil’s Supreme Court.Trump raised tariffs on imports of most Brazilian goods to 50% and sanctioned the Brazilian Supreme Court justice overseeing the Bolsonaro case in July.The judge had levied search warrants and restraining orders against Bolsonaro over allegations that he courted Trump’s interference in his criminal case, in which he was accused of plotting to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in 2023.Trump said last week he would consider reducing tariffs on Brazil under the right circumstances.In April, the Senate passed legislation to end Trump’s tariffs against Canada but rejected another measure to rein in his global tariffs. Both were voted down in the House.

MatchPoint Times

US Senate passes bill to terminate Trump tariffs against Brazil

The Senate passed the Brazil tariff bill 52-48, with five Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the first of three measures.

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