President Donald Trump threatened to veto a bill that would allow Congress to severely restrict his authority to levy tariffs on other nations.
Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced a measure to this effect last week. If passed, the bill would grant Congress more oversight over how duties are imposed.
However, it appears lawmakers will have an uphill battle in passing this type of legislation, Axios reported.
President Trump would veto a bill introduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that would limit the president's authority to unilaterally impose tariffs, according to a White House statement seen by Axios.
Why it matters: In the midst of a potential trade war, Trump wants to ensure that the president retains full authority to tariff products entering America.
- "If passed, this bill would dangerously hamper the President's authority and duty to determine our foreign policy and protect our national security," according to a statement of administration policy that was sent to congressional offices today.
- "If S. 1272 were presented to the President, he would veto the bill."
Grassley and Cantwell’s bill would require a president to notify Congress within 48 hours of any new or increased tariff. “Not later than 48 hours after imposing or increasing a duty with respect to an article imported into the United States, the President shall submit to Congress a notification of the imposition of or increase,” the bill reads.
The president’s notification must include “an explanation of the reasoning for imposing or increasing the duty” and “an assessment of the potential impact of imposing or increasing the duty on United States businesses and consumers.”
The bill, if passed, would grant Congress a two-month time period to either approve or block the new tariff. If the legislature does not vote on the matter within the 60-day period, the duty will expire.
Lawmakers would also have the authority to rescind tariffs that have already been implemented at any time. “For too long, Congress has delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch,” Grassley said in a statement.
Cantwell concurred, saying, “Trade wars can be as devastating, which is why the Founding Fathers gave Congress the clear Constitutional authority over war and trade.”
The proposed legislation has garnered support from at least a few Republican lawmakers. Some Republicans like Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), stated, “I like congressional review … In trade, it’s a good example.”
Congress would need a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate for the bill to override President Trump’s veto power.
None of these people want to risk running afoul of Trump and his supporters. Passing the bill would require 67 senators and 290 House members. This means that if all Democrats in both chambers voted for the bill, it would need 77 Republican representatives and 19 senators to vote with him for the measure to pass. Only about ten percent of presidential vetoes have been overridden in this fashion, which is exactly why I’m predicting this effort will fail.
For starters, even Republican lawmakers who might agree with having more congressional oversight over tariffs won’t want to run afoul of the president’s agenda. It would be a particularly foolish political move given Trump’s popularity among Republican voters at the moment.
Voting in favor of this bill would put lawmakers squarely in Trump’s crosshairs – a place no Republican legislator wants to be. For the time being, the president will maintain his power to issue tariffs as he pleases.
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