Economics

Vice President J.D. Vance cast the deciding vote in the Senate to block a resolution that would have overturned President Donald Trump’s tariffs, stepping in after three Republicans joined Democrats in an effort to revoke the national emergency authority underpinning the policy.

The Senate vote was held on a resolution seeking to terminate the president’s declaration of a national emergency related to foreign trade deficits.

The measure would have effectively dismantled the tariffs implemented under that authority.

Although Republicans hold a majority in the chamber, the resolution tied 49-49 after GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Rand Paul (R-KY) crossed party lines to vote with Democrats.

With the tie, Vice President Vance intervened and cast the tie-breaking vote to defeat the resolution.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) were both absent from the vote.

A spokesperson for McConnell later stated that the 83-year-old senator would have voted in favor of the resolution alongside Democrats.

“The Senator has been consistent in opposing tariffs and that a trade war is not in the best interest of American households and businesses,” the spokesperson said. “He believes that tariffs are a tax increase on everybody.”

Following the vote, Murkowski posted on social media defending her decision to support the resolution, stating that the president’s declaration of a national emergency related to trade imbalances does not meet the legal threshold required.

“Bilateral trade deficits do not constitute a national emergency, nor do they qualify as an ‘unusual and extraordinary’ circumstance needed to unlock authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act,” Murkowski said.

Today, I voted in support of SJR 49, which would terminate the President’s national emergency declaration regarding our trade deficits with countries around the world. Bilateral trade deficits do not constitute a national emergency, nor do they qualify as an “unusual and…

— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) May 1, 2025

“We have a lot more work to do to reclaim Congress’s constitutional power over tariffs, but this resolution is a step in the right direction,” she added.

Senator Rand Paul also explained his vote, citing constitutional concerns over executive power and congressional authority over taxation.

“The Constitution clearly states that Congress, not the president, has the power of the purse,” Paul posted on X.

“All new taxes (which is what a tariff is) are supposed to originate in the House of Representatives before going to the Senate for approval.”

The Constitution clearly states that Congress, not the president, has the power of the purse. All new taxes (which is what a tariff is) are supposed to originate in the House of Representatives before going to the Senate for approval.https://t.co/TyrmT7kYcE

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) April 30, 2025

Despite the attempted rollback, President Trump defended his economic strategy, particularly the tariffs implemented under his “Liberation Day” trade policy.

In a series of posts on Truth Social this week, Trump rejected claims that the tariffs were to blame for current market volatility, attributing recent economic turbulence to policies inherited from the previous administration.

“This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s,” the president wrote.

“I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’”

Trump also urged patience from Americans and businesses navigating the transition.

“This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers,” Trump added.

“But when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!”

Trump on the stock market: “This is Biden’s stock market, not Trump’s… BE PATIENT!!!” pic.twitter.com/Vb8X1UAuYd

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) April 30, 2025

The failed resolution marks a significant win for the Trump administration as it moves forward with efforts to realign global trade policies in favor of American production.

The White House has signaled that further economic measures tied to the national emergency authority could be forthcoming.

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President Donald Trump responded forcefully to a question from a Bloomberg reporter on Sunday regarding the potential economic impact of his administration’s tariff policies.

The exchange occurred during a press availability aboard Air Force One, just days after the rollout of sweeping reciprocal tariffs referred to by the administration as “Liberation Day.”

Annmarie Hordern of Bloomberg asked President Trump whether there was a point at which he would reconsider his tariff strategy if it caused continued market declines.

“I think your question is so stupid,” Trump said.

“I mean it, I think it’s a— Uh, I don’t want anything to go down. But sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.”

Trump went on to defend the tariffs as a necessary step to protect American workers and businesses, placing blame on prior administrations for trade policies that, in his view, contributed to the erosion of U.S. manufacturing and economic strength.

“We have been treated so badly by other countries because we had stupid leadership that allowed this to happen,” Trump said.

“They took our businesses, they took our money, they took our jobs. They moved it to Mexico. They moved it to Canada. They moved a lot of it to China and it’s not sustainable. We’re not gonna do it.”

Me: Is there a “Trump put?”

Trump: “I think your question is so stupid. I don't want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.”pic.twitter.com/8WfBZTcXwW

— annmarie hordern (@annmarie) April 7, 2025

Trump credited his tariff policies with generating new revenue for the United States and attracting global attention.

“Now we have hundreds of billions of dollars pouring into our country on a monthly basis. It’s pouring. It’s already started because I put tariffs on,” Trump said. “And eventually it’s gonna straighten out, and our country will be solid and strong again.”

The administration’s recent tariff actions have triggered a broad response worldwide.

That moment when you realize the media is manipulating you into panicking over the stock market. pic.twitter.com/Z5xq1yyKB1

— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) April 7, 2025

More than 50 countries have signaled interest in negotiations to avoid new U.S. tariffs, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

“We already have 50 — five-zero — countries that have come to the table over the last few days, over the last weeks, that are willing and desperate to talk to us,” Rollins told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday morning.

“We are the economic engine of the world, and it’s finally time that someone, President Trump, stood up for America.”

Rollins addressed concerns raised by critics who argue that the tariffs could damage the stock market or increase prices for consumers.

She said such concerns are politically motivated and do not reflect the broader benefits of the policy shift.

“This is about putting America first,” Rollins said, pointing to trade imbalances and longstanding barriers faced by U.S. exporters.

She cited examples such as Mexico’s past refusal to buy American corn and Australia’s restrictions on U.S. beef imports.

Rollins also emphasized that the administration’s broader strategy includes not only tariffs but also deregulation, tax cuts, and policies aimed at achieving energy independence.

She described the approach as a comprehensive economic reset modeled on principles of national self-reliance and security.

When asked if the tariffs are intended to be permanent, Rollins said they are part of a longer-term national strategy to reshore jobs and restore industrial strength.

The administration’s tariff actions follow years of trade deficits and complaints from U.S. industries and labor groups about unfair practices by foreign competitors.

Trump’s latest round of tariffs applies reciprocal surcharges on a wide range of imports from countries that impose barriers on American goods.

Further negotiations are expected in the coming weeks as other nations seek exemptions or new trade agreements.

For now, the administration remains firm in its position, asserting that the measures are necessary to reestablish economic fairness and protect U.S. sovereignty in global trade.

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Liberal protestors have upped their game since the days of now quaint-seeming sit-ins on college campuses. There’s a furore over whether the Trump administration is right to deport green-card-holding non-citizen Mahmoud Khalil for what it says is his support for terrorist organizations like Hamas. The controversy shows how far we’ve traveled from what anyone would call peaceful protest to, today, students taking over campus buildings, breaking windows, and preventing other students from walking freely on campuses like Columbia where Khalil was active. 

When did “protest” become synonymous with criminal vandalism and threats and intimidation aimed at fellow students? It’s been at least since 2020, when Black Lives Matter “protestors” rioted in cities across the U.S., burning public and private buildings, cars, and more. The “protests” caused more than $1 billion in damage (that’s just counting the insurance claims), the most in U.S. history. The leftist media showed its naked contempt for reality and viewers, of course, by labeling the violence as “mostly peaceful.” CNN was widely ridiculed for showing live images of a burning city while the on-screen label called the violence “fiery but mostly peaceful protests”. 

For modern protestors who don’t want to go all the to violence, but who instead want to appear to be “victims,” we have a melodramatist’s delight: the “die-in.” This is where demonstrators lie on the ground pretending to be dead in the mistaken belief that such a histrionic display will convince onlookers that their cause is righteous. 

A group of Democrat theater kids just held a die-in in front of the New York Stock Exchange. They were “dying” in protest of what  they claim were acts of harm done to them by President Trump, and especially by Elon Musk as he slashes through wasteful government spending. 

Oh boy…

pic.twitter.com/xN7FHpZ51R

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) March 17, 2025

Let’s take a look at the “gravestones” and see what they indicate about the protestors’ frame of mind. 

“Fatal infection-abortion ban”—It was abortion bans that drove them to it, see? The woman had no responsibility for getting pregnant. 

“Elon fired bird flu monitoring”—You got that? There weren’t enough monitors for bird flu, so humans are dying of a bird flu that doesn’t affect humans. 

“SNAP cuts killed me”— “SNAP” (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is the new word so no one has to say “food stamps.” Apparently changes to the program killed the protestor despite the fact that he or she does not appear to be starving in the video. 

Let’s see what X/Twitter thought of this latest set piece. We’ve got a few comedians:

Anyone have any dirt?

— Steve Nucumb 🇺🇸 (@SteveNucomb) March 17, 2025

They are just showing you how they make it onto the voter rolls of the democrats.

— Brent D Gifford (@brentdgifford) March 17, 2025

At least they’re being quiet and staying down for once.

— Wizard Cat (@CatWizardTime) March 17, 2025

First polio death 😂😂

— Doge Takeover (@DogeGuy12345678) March 17, 2025

What did I say about theater kids? 

It really is true, that once you just look at them as theater kids, you CANNOT unsee it

— Blue-collar Scholar (@OttoHelmick) March 17, 2025

Michigan’s critical manufacturing industry shed 20,000 jobs over the last year, including at least 4,000 so far in 2025, as unemployment continued to tick up to 5.3% in January.

“The number of unemployed people in Michigan is going up. It has been going up for the past year or so. That’s not unexpected with the news we’ve been hearing with the weakness in manufacturing and retail trade,” Michigan Labor Market Information Director Wayne Rourke told WEMU. “Those are particularly weak industries for Michigan right now.”

Data from the Department of Technology, Management and Budget released Thursday show the number of unemployed Michiganders increased for the 10^th consecutive month in January, when another 6,000 lost their jobs.

Compared to the year prior, there were 67,000 more residents without a job in January, marking a 33.3% jump from the same month in 2024. The continued job losses in Michigan come despite a national decline in unemployment of one tenth of a percentage point in January to 4%.

Read the full article at The Midwesterner for more stories like this.

President Donald Trump threatened the European Union (EU) with crushing tariffs if it does not lift “a nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky.”

The president, who described the EU as “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World,” said he would place a 200% tariff if the globalist Union did not remove theirs.

“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES,” Trump warned.

🚨 BREAKING: Trump threatens a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne unless the 50% EU tariff on American whiskey is removed.

WOW. pic.twitter.com/oZO85ucZBY

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) March 13, 2025

The EU implemented tariffs on $28 billion worth of U.S. goods as a countermeasure to President Trump’s increased tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum imports. The EU targeted bourbon, jeans, and motorcycles, which appeared to be designed to harm globally popular American brands. However, tariffs on metal imports to the U.S. were not targeted at the EU but took effect globally, imposing a 25 percent levy on various metal items.

Tariffs in several areas have often been unbalanced in the EU’s favor. For example, the EU imposed 0 percent tariffs on American cars while the U.S. imposed only 2.5 percent tariffs on European cars.

The Hill reported:

Chris Swonger, CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council, urged Trump to make a deal with the EU to prevent escalation.

On Wednesday, Swonger warned that a European whiskey tariff would be “very, very devastating.”

“We’ve just gotten the news early, early this morning, that the [EU] is poised to put a 50 percent tariff on American whiskey,” Swonger told NewsNation’s Nichole Berlie.

“That will be very, very devastating.”

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Ranked in bottom half of states for education, crime, and infrastructure

U.S. News & World Report recently released its annual Best States analysis, and not much has changed for the Great Lakes State. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan remains among the bottom 10 in the nation, well behind all states in the Midwest.

“Some states shine in health care. Some soar in education. Some excel in both – or in much more,” according to the news site. “The Best States rankings by U.S. News draw on thousands of data points to measure how well states perform for their citizens.” The rankings include a breakdown by categories: health care, crime, economy, education, fiscal stability, infrastructure, natural environment and opportunity. Michigan did not “shine,” “soar,” or “excel” in any of them.

Overall, the state ranked 42^nd in the U.S. for the second consecutive year, making no progress after slipping one spot from 41^st in 2023. For the second consecutive year, Michigan ranked in the bottom half of states for all categories, with its top-ranked category of opportunity in 27th place. The news site ranked Michigan 28^th for the economy, 29th for health care, 30th for the natural environment, 32^nd for fiscal stability, 38^th for crime and corrections, and 41^st for education and infrastructure.

Read the full article at The Midwesterner

Image Credit: © James Crisp/Special to Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Republican strategist Scott Jennings pressed Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) on Thursday, challenging her on why Americans should trust Democrats to address inflation after prices surged under the Biden-Harris administration. The exchange took place during a segment on CNN NewsNight, where Strickland attempted to defend her party’s economic record while Jennings pushed back on claims that Democrats could bring down the cost of living. During the discussion, Strickland faced criticism over rising consumer costs, particularly the cost of eggs, which has doubled since November 2023, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank.

The price surge was fueled by a bird flu outbreak that led to the culling of tens of millions of chickens.

Jennings dismissed Strickland’s claims that Democrats had a plan to reduce costs, challenging her on why voters should trust the party after four years of economic strain.

“Why would or should the American people trust Democrats to lower the cost of living after the last four years?” Jennings asked.

Strickland began to respond by touting job creation under the Biden administration, saying, “We have created more jobs—” before being cut off.

Jennings pushed back, redirecting the conversation to inflation: “No, no, cost of living. You brought it up. You said Trump‘s not delivering. I just want to know why we should trust Democrats who skyrocketed inflation for the last—what—why would I trust you? Why would I trust you?”

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached a four-decade high of 9% in June 2022, after then-President Joe Biden signed several massive spending bills into law, including the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, despite warnings that it could fuel inflation. Under Biden, overall prices rose by more than 20%.

Strickland and former Biden campaign staffer Ashley Allison attempted to shift the discussion to the Trump administration’s policies. Strickland criticized the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was established by President Trump in a January 20 executive order to reduce government waste and streamline federal agencies.

The department, a rebranding of the United States Digital Service, has been working to cut bureaucratic inefficiencies.

“Donald Trump is the president. He promised to lower cost of living. He is cutting jobs across the board from civil servants who have to support their families—” Strickland argued.

Jennings countered, questioning Strickland’s stance on expanding government employment. “So you believe in government jobs? You want more government jobs?” he asked.

Strickland responded, “No, actually, I want jobs that actually help people. Do you know what civil servants do? They keep our air clean. They keep our water clean. They keep our food safe—don’t interrupt me.”

Jennings quickly replied, “They take taxpayer money to fund the whole thing.”

As the discussion became more heated, CNN NewsNight host Abby Phillip and Allison joined Strickland in defending government employees. While the three spoke over him, Jennings managed to land his final critique of the Democratic platform.

“This is the Democratic plan: More government jobs,” he concluded.

The exchange highlighted the ongoing battle between Republicans and Democrats over economic policy, government spending, and inflation, with Democrats defending a larger federal workforce while Republicans push for reducing bureaucracy and cutting costs.

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The White House is set to hold its first cryptocurrency summit on Friday, with key figures in the digital asset space gathering to discuss the future of the industry under President Donald Trump’s administration.

JUST IN: 🇺🇸 White House announces its first ever crypto summit on March 7th

BULLISH 🚀 pic.twitter.com/bucrEN74o5

— BlockNews (@blocknewsdotcom) March 1, 2025

The event comes as recent tariff threats from the president have contributed to a $400 billion loss in the crypto market over the past week.

The summit will be chaired by White House A.I. and Crypto Czar David Sacks and hosted by Bo Hines, executive director of the President’s Working Group on Digital Assets.

President Trump will host the first White House Crypto Summit on Friday March 7. Attendees will include prominent founders, CEOs, and investors from the crypto industry. Look forward to seeing everyone there! pic.twitter.com/PEynzDuAOt

— David Sacks (@davidsacks47) March 1, 2025

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