House rule fails 214-217, enabling vote to terminate Trump's Canada tariffs

On February 10, 2026, the House rejected Speaker Mike Johnson's procedural rule 214-217, blocking his attempt to prohibit congressional votes disapproving Trump's tariffs through July 31.

Three Republicans — Thomas Massie (KY), Kevin Kiley (CA), and Don Bacon (NE) — voted with all Democrats to defeat the rule, marking Johnson's seventh rule failure as Speaker.

The next day, February 11, the House passed Rep. Gregory Meeks's (D-NY) privileged resolution 219-211 to terminate the national emergency behind Trump's Canada tariffs.

Six Republicans voted for the Meeks resolution: Massie, Kiley, Bacon, Jeff Hurd (CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), and Dan Newhouse (WA). Only one Democrat — Jared Golden (ME) — voted against it.

Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods (later raised to 35%) using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977, claiming fentanyl trafficking from Canada constituted a national emergency.

The National Emergencies Act gives Congress a fast-track 'privileged resolution' process to terminate presidential emergency declarations — but the president can veto it, requiring a two-thirds override vote.

Speaker Johnson argued Congress should wait for the Supreme Court to rule on pending IEEPA tariff cases before voting — the three defectors rejected that reasoning. Ten days after the rule failed, the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs unlawful, vindicating those who said Congress had independent authority to act.

The House Rules Committee had approved language to extend the tariff-vote moratorium through July 31, 2026, after a previous ban expired at the end of January 2026.

The Court of International Trade struck down IEEPA tariffs on May 28, 2025, and the Federal Circuit affirmed on August 29, 2025, ruling IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose broad tariffs. The Supreme Court settled the question on February 20, 2026, ruling 6-3 in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that IEEPA tariffs are unlawful — Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion.

Trump posted on social media that 'Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!'

Canada accounted for roughly 0.2% of US fentanyl seizures in fiscal year 2024 — 43 pounds out of 21,889 pounds total. Mexico supplied approximately 97%. Trump declared a Canadian fentanyl emergency to justify IEEPA tariffs, but US Customs and Border Protection data shows the Canadian border is a negligible source of the drug.