Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) got 87 of his colleagues to send a symbolic rebuke to President Trump over his newly imposed steel and aluminum tariffs against Canada, Mexico and the European Union. The Corker resolution demands that Congress have a say when the president imposes tariffs in the name of national security.
The measure directs a conference committee working to resolve differences on an appropriations bill passed by the House and Senate to include in the final package language giving Congress a say on tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.
The resolution is non-binding, which means the conferees don’t have to follow its instructions. (Tennessean)
It is a symbolic vote, but it's a "baby step," said Corker.
In addition to a few of our allies, Trump also hit China with $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods this week.
Corker, the Senate Foreign Relations Chairman, has been one of the president's most vocal Republican critics. In addition to his tariff resolution, Corker accused Trump of "diminishing" the U.S.'s international influence following some tense meetings at the NATO summit this week.
"I believe that America's leadership around the world has made the world safer for Americans and has made the world a better place," Corker said. "And when I see that leadership diminishing, and us trying to break apart alliances that we created, it troubles me."
Corker will be retiring from Congress at the end of the term. He told his successor he or she will have his full support.