The U.S. Senate on Oct. 30 accomplished what many once considered impossible: It voted to overturn President Donald Trump’s use of national emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs.
The rare bipartisan rebuke exposed deep divisions over trade authority and Congress’ constitutional role as guardian of the purse strings. It also underscored the economic strain of rising materials costs that has disrupted U.S. construction and manufacturing since the first tariff orders took effect.
The 59-41 vote approved SJRes. 88, a resolution ending the emergency declaration Trump used in March to justify tariffs of up to 50 percent on imported steel, aluminum and copper under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure, which is expected to face a veto. Lawmakers described the move as an attempt to restore congressional oversight after months of price volatility that affected key construction inputs.
“American families are being squeezed by rising prices,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who led debate on the resolution, according to a statement released by his office. “Congress can vote to repeal Donald Trump’s trade taxes and stop taking money out of Americans’ pockets.”
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Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the former majority leader, added: “Tariffs make it more expensive to both build and buy in America. The economic damage from trade wars is not the exception to history, but the rule,” The Washington Post reports.
His fellow Kentuckian Sen. Rand Paul (R) made it clearer before the vote that “tariffs are taxes; they raise the costs of the things Americans buy every day and make it harder for American businesses to thrive and create more jobs.”
An immediate and persistent effect
The tariffs, 25% in March, which will rise to 50% on steel and aluminum on June 4 and 50% on copper on August 1, are already reflected in federal output price data and construction bids. The Associated General Contractors of America said in September that the industry is approaching tipping point.
“There is a limit to how many price increases the market can absorb before owners put projects on hold,” said Associated General Contractors CEO Jeffrey D. Shoaf in a Sept. 10 statement, which reported that 43 percent of contractors cited delayed or canceled projects due to higher material costs tied to the rate actions.
While the AGC has not taken a formal position on this latest Senate action, it says it continues to press both Congress and the White House for clarity on tariff policy.
“We have been in near-constant communication with the administration and Congress since before the year even began about the need for clarity and certainty on rates,” Brian Turmail, AGC’s vice president of public affairs and workforce, said in an email. He added that the group was encouraged by the administration’s “speed to resolve many of the trade disputes,” including what he described as “a trade truce with China.”
Most Republicans continued to support the president despite mounting data showing the tariffs are hurting economic growth. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) told the Associated Press that the tariffs “should be more targeted at preventing harm to Americans,” but argued that the repeal “is counterproductive to helping American families and businesses of all sizes.”
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Trade associations and business groups have warned from the outset about the negative impact of unilateral tariffs on the construction sector.
On March 11, the day before the administration imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, the US Chamber of Commerce told the Office of the US Trade Representative that “Americans are literally paying these import taxes.” In April, the National Association of Manufacturers said the 2025 tariffs “threaten investment, jobs, supply chains and, in turn, America’s ability to compete with other nations.”
In practical terms, the Senate action provides limited immediate relief but represents a potential turning point. If Congress can reassert its trade approval authority, it could reduce the political uncertainty that forces companies to include escalation clauses or contingency bonuses in bids.
Economists note that US producers meet about 84% of domestic demand for construction metals, meaning that the remaining 16% must still be imported, precisely the part most affected by the tariffs.
An estimate by the Boston Federal Reserve in October found that the 2025 tariffs add about 0.75 percentage points to core inflation.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), former chairman of the Finance Committee and the chamber’s top Republican, helped craft the bipartisan overhaul framework underlying the Oct. 30 resolution.
In early April, he and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced the Trade Overhaul Act of 2025, which would require Congress to approve new presidential tariffs within 60 days. Grassley said Republicans were responding to the concerns of American businesses about “higher costs passed right down the supply chain”; Cantwell said the bill “shows the anxiety people have when tariffs are used as the only tool,” according to the Congressional Record.
Even if Trump vetoes the measure, the Senate vote is a sign of growing concern within his party that the tariff regime is hurting both domestic builders and foreign competitors. For the construction industry, it also serves as the clearest indicator that Washington’s trade fight has become an economic variable in all major project estimates.
ENR has sought additional comment from the senators involved in the Oct. 30 action, but had not received responses by press time.
