Lawmakers pursue avenues to counter Trump tariffs
Washington — Backlash to President Trump's tariffs cropped up throughout Capitol Hill in recent days, as Democrats, and some Republicans, expressed concern about the sweeping levies on foreign imports — while putting forward a handful of possible methods to counter them.
On April 2, the president announced a 10% baseline tariff on all U.S. trading partners while increasing levies on dozens of countries that charge higher taxes on American exports. And after what Mr. Trump described as "Liberation Day," investors appeared spooked, with members of Congress unclear on the path forward.
The response from some lawmakers was swift. Sens. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat and Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, introduced bipartisan legislation the next day aimed at reasserting Congress' role over trade policy. The measure, known as the Trade Review Act of 2025, would require the president to give Congress 48 hours' notice before imposing or raising tariffs. The president would have to include an explanation and analysis of the potential impact, while lawmakers would have the ability to end the levy with a joint resolution.
Grassley said in a statement that Congress has for too long "delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch," while Cantwell argued that the same check and balance that prevents the president from unilaterally declaring war should exist "as it relates to protecting our commerce activities."Rep. Don Bacon is sponsoring companion legislation in the House, which he introduced Monday.
Another House effort to address the president's tariffs also got underway this week. Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat who serves as the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a resolution Tuesday to force a vote to block the president's newest round of tariffs, after pledging to do so when Mr. Trump made the announcement.
"Republicans can't keep ducking this — it's time they show whether they support the economic pain Trump is inflicting on their constituents," Meeks said in a post on X last week.
The move would force a vote on the House floor within 15 days. But the resolution would ultimately require the president's signature or a veto-proof majority, making it a gambit unlikely to succeed.
The efforts come after the Senate approved a resolution last week aimed at blocking the president's Canada tariffs, as a handful of Republicans bucked their party leader to support the measure. The bill would have to be approved by the House, and Meeks announced plans last week to introduce a discharge petition to force the House to take a vote on the issue.
Meanwhile, House Republican leadership has taken steps to quash efforts to block Mr. Trump's tariffs. Last month, they included as part of a bill to keep the government funded a provision that widely blocks members from forcing a vote on the Canada and Mexico tariffs amid a similar push by Meeks. And this week, as the House prepared to vote on another major piece of legislation, a provision that would prevent members from forcing a vote to block Mr. Trump's tariffs announced April 2 was tucked into a rule governing the measure. When Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico introduced an amendment to strike the provision, Republicans on the House Rules Committee opposed it.
"Republicans, through this rule, are refusing to follow the Constitution, which says that Congress shall have the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations," Leger Fernandez said, noting that just a handful of Republican would need to side with Democrats to review and effectively block the tariffs. "But Republicans think that they can stop time and stop debate, and in that way, avoid actually voting on the tariffs, actually debating on the tariffs, which is our job."
Whether any of the moves can make it through both chambers and have an impact on the tariffs or trade situation more broadly remains to be seen.
