Senate approves measure to cancel Biden's solar tariff pause, teeing up third veto

Senators passed a measure Wednesday to invalidate the emergency declaration President Joe Biden declared last summer to temporarily protect Asian solar energy imports from anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

The 56-41 bipartisan vote gives full approval to the resolution after House lawmakers passed it on Friday and tees up the latest Biden veto of a measure seeking to nullify one of his administration's environment-related rulemakings or administrative actions.

Nine Democrats voted for the measure: Sens. Tammy Baldwin (WI), Sherrod Brown (OH), Bob Casey (PA), John Fetterman (PA), Joe Manchin (WV), Gary Peters (MI), Debbie Stabenow (MI), Jon Tester (MT), and Ron Wyden (OR). One Republican, Sen. Rand Paul (KY), voted against it.

The Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval melds several hot political issues, including U.S. trade and manufacturing policy, competition with China, and climate change mitigation, into one.

The Commerce Department issued a preliminary determination in December finding that Chinese-parented companies exporting solar cells and modules from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia to the U.S. are circumventing existing duties on Chinesese solar products, setting the stage for tariffs to be extended to those imports.