Updated March 05, 2025 at 11:08 AM ET
A defiant President Trump defended imposing new tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico – three of the United States' largest and most crucial trading partners – at a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.
Economists have repeatedly said that the 25% tariffs that went into effect this week on the three countries will raise prices on businesses and U.S. consumers. The tariffs are likely to affect car prices, groceries and other goods.
But Trump said during his record-length address the tariffs were about defending American jobs and "protecting the soul of our country."
Despite the president's confidence about these tariffs, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Morning Edition that Republicans in Congress may be feeling anxious and "nervous" about the likelihood that a lot of goods are about to get more expensive.
Kaine said he plans to file a challenge in the Senate to Trump's tariffs on Canada, which were imposed using emergency economic powers, arguing that the reason they've been enacted is invalid. Trump has stated the tariffs were needed to stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.; federal data shows less than 1% of fentanyl is smuggled in from Canada.
"So sometime by the end of March, you're going to see a vote on this," Kaine said. "And I know a lot of Republicans are really worried about the effect these tariffs are going to have on their citizens."
Kaine led a similar vote last month against Trump's energy emergency declaration. It failed after a party-line vote.
Kaine also spoke to Morning Edition's Michel Martin about how the president's address to Congress unfolded and the impacts the new administration is having on his constituents.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Michel Martin: Let me touch on the atmosphere since you were there. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, stood up and shouted that the president doesn't have a mandate. He was escorted out. Other times, Democrats sat on their hands or waved small signs with different messages on them. What's your take on how that went?
Sen. Tim Kaine: The State of the Union always has some fun theater to it. When the Senate processes in, the House members welcome us. Pomp and circumstance, the diplomatic corps. And there was that veneer last night, but I will say the mood in the room had a lot more anxiety and not just on the Democratic side, anxiety undercurrents than any that I've been in.
There was anxiety about the economy with the tariff issue. There's anxiety about security in the aftermath of the horrible meeting in the Oval Office with the president of Ukraine last Friday. And there's even lingering anxiety about our democracy itself, when you have a guy like Elon Musk seemingly in charge and people are remembering that the president just pardoned the Jan. 6 protesters.
Editor's note: Tuesday night's speech was not an official State of the Union address.
Martin: So you're telling us that you feel the Republicans were also feeling that anxiety, but what about how the Democrats responded in the moment? The reviews from some of the commentators were mixed. I mean, some took that as a kind of a metaphor for how the Democrats are responding to Mr. Trump overall, which is kind of incoherent. What's your response to that?
Kaine: I think it was Will Rogers who said, "I don't believe in organized political parties. That's why I'm a Democrat." We pride ourselves on being iconoclastic and individualistic. So folks, you know, did it differently. Some chose to wear things or waved signs. Rep. Green heckled the president. Some didn't attend. Some did attend. But I think the bottom line message that we strongly believe – and I think Elissa Slotkin did a great job with this – is that Americans are worried about the economy. They're worried about security, and they're worried about democracy. And on the economy, that's number one. It's what President Trump campaigned on. And thus far, the results he's delivering are abysmal.
Martin: As you mentioned, Sen. Slotkin's basic message was that Trump said what he's going to do, but he's not really going to do that. Is there anything in particular you want to add or is there anything in particular that you want to fact check?
Kaine: I'm in Virginia and I'm watching the layoff of all these employees because of this DOGE project led by Trump, Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought and Elon Musk. When they're laying off FAA safety employees right after a tragic accident that killed 67 people at Reagan National Airport a month ago – are you kidding me? They're waging a war on veterans because 30% of the federal workforce is veterans. So when you lay a lot of people off, you are laying off veterans and Donald Trump and these guys know it because they know who the federal workforce is. They are not just hurting the economy, but they're hurting a group of people that does not deserve to be a punching bag.
Martin: Interestingly, your state exports a lot more than I think many people might realize that it does. President Trump defended tariffs on Canada and Mexico in his speech. Last year, some 15% of your state's exports went to Canada, things like cars and transportation equipment. How do you respond to his defense of those tariffs?
Kaine: It's disastrous to put these tariffs on the three biggest trading partners of our country, who are also the three biggest trading partners of Virginia. And we've got a particular soft spot for Canada because it's not just about exports out of our port and through railroad. Canadians also come to our beaches a lot. So we are very used to Canadians coming for tourism. They're just going to raise prices on everybody. And that's why I'm challenging the president's tariffs on Canada because, since he did it by emergency order, I can file a challenge and force the Senate to vote on it.
Martin: Say more about that. What exactly are you going to do about that?
Kaine: The president is imposing these tariffs pursuant to a declared emergency. Now we know the president is declaring emergencies not really because of an emergency, but he just wants to bypass Congress. Last week, I forced a vote on a president's declared energy emergency. He said we're in an energy emergency even though America is producing more energy than we ever have in the history of this country. We voted on it last week. No Republicans would break with the president, but I'm now going to challenge the Canadian tariffs.
He cited fentanyl at the border, but the fentanyl issue is not a real issue with Canada. There's more fentanyl that goes from the U.S. to Canada than from Canada to the U.S. And it's a footnote to the real fentanyl problem, which is China and Mexico. So he's just inventing this Canadian emergency to start a trade war that's going to hurt Virginians.
Martin: So I understand that you and Sen. Mark Warner, also from Virginia, have this legislation challenging these tariffs because you say they're based on a false premise, but you have not been able to get any Republicans to vote with you so far on a similar challenge. What hope do you have that they will join you on this?
Kaine: I think they're very, very nervous about these Canadian tariffs. And the good thing about this bill is I'm guaranteed a vote. It ripens and becomes the business of the Senate 15 days after I file it. So sometime by the end of March, you're going to see a vote on this. And I know a lot of Republicans are really worried about the effect these tariffs are going to have on their citizens.
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