Senate Republicans are considering legislation that would give Congress the authority to approve or reject some of the tariffs Trump is hoping to impose to fight unfair trade practices.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., discussed his proposal with GOP lawmakers in a closed-door lunch Tuesday. The proposal comes in response to 25 percent steel and 10 percent aluminum tariffs imposed by Trump last week against major U.S. trading partners, and tariffs he is looking to impose against China later this month.
Under current law, the president has the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs to fight unfair trade practices or for national security reasons, but Corker’s proposal would make some tariffs subject to congressional approval. It’s not yet clear how much support the idea has among Republicans.
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“I’m going to listen to that discussion,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who heads the GOP conference, when asked if he backs the Corker measure. “We’ve got members who feel pretty strongly about it and we’ll see where it leads.”
Corker and co-author Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said they could try to get the measure passed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass bill. “If it’s an open amendment process, it might get a vote there,” Thune said.
Thune said lawmakers have long ceded authority to the executive branch on trade deals in order to expedite them. But he acknowledged it may be time to rethink it.
“There is an argument to be made that Congress ought to be more engaged and assert more of its authority on some of those issues,” Thune said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he wouldn’t bring it up as a stand-alone bill, but agreed it’s possible it could move as an amendment.
“Items as contentious as that’s likely to be, we’ll see, but I’m not going to call it up freestanding,” McConnell said Tuesday.
McConnell downplayed the bill after Corker discussed it with GOP lawmakers at the lunch.
