‘Unjustified, irrational’: Kanwal Sibal says US Senate should pass a bill to terminate India’s 50% tariff like it did for Brazil

A bill to terminate India’s 50 per cent tariff should be passed like the US Senate did for Brazil, said former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, describing the tariffs as “unjustified and irrational”. The Republican-led US Senate decided to pass a bill to terminate the US tariffs on Brazil, 52 to 48.

“A similar move should be made on 50% tariffs on India which are totally unjustified and irrational,” said Kanwal Sibal. However, with a possible trade deal, things might not be quite the same for India.

The United States Senate voted 52-48 on Tuesday to overturn President Donald Trump's tariffs against Brazil, approving legislation to terminate the national emergency declared in July. This action, marking the first of three expected tariff bills this week, received bipartisan support with five Republican senators crossing party lines. The measures – initiated in response to Brazil's prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro for his alleged role in an attempted coup – aim to roll back tariffs on most Brazilian imports, which Trump had raised to 50 per cent.

The Senate vote sends the Brazil legislation to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where its future remains uncertain. House Republicans have consistently blocked previous attempts to reverse Trump's tariff measures. Legislative efforts to terminate tariffs on Canada and other global partners are also scheduled for Senate votes later in the week.

Senator Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat who authored the resolution, emphasised the impact of the tariffs on American households. He stated on the Senate floor, "People are suffering. They're paying more for food, more for clothes, more for healthcare, more for energy, more for building supplies, because of President Trump's tariff policy." His resolution was supported by Republican senators Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, and Thom Tillis.

Some Republican lawmakers argued that revoking the tariffs could weaken US leverage in ongoing and future trade negotiations. While the Senate acted, Trump was on a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, and is scheduled to meet with China's leader Xi Jinping for trade talks.

Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted of organising a coup and other charges, receiving a 27-year prison sentence, which he is appealing to Brazil's Supreme Court. Trump had also sanctioned the Brazilian Supreme Court justice overseeing the case, following actions including search warrants and restraining orders against Bolsonaro over accusations of seeking Trump's interference in his criminal proceedings. Last week, Trump signalled potential willingness to review the tariffs under certain conditions.