WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday rejected an effort to undo President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on most U.S. trading partners, even as a small group of Republicans joined Democrats in delivering a rebuke to a trade policy that many lawmakers fear is causing economic harm.

The vote deadlocked at 49-49, meaning it failed despite three Republicans joining Democrats in favor of a measure that sought to terminate the national emergency declaration Trump used this month to impose 10% reciprocal tariffs.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. and a co-sponsor of the resolution, crossed party lines to support it, as well as Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. But the defections were not enough to make up for the absences of two supporters: Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky..“It’s still a debate worth having,” Paul said of the failed resolution. He noted that many of his Republican colleagues are privately expressing consternation over Trump’s trade war but have carefully calibrated their public responses to defer to the president.

— The New York Times