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After the Trump administration last week announced hefty tariffs on countries around the world, many of which responded with reciprocal levies, economies around the world descended into turmoil.
Then, on Wednesday, the administration announced a pause on higher tariffs for 90 days, except against China, prompting sighs of relief and short-lived stock market rallies.
This on again-off again approach to tariffs, and the economic and diplomatic harm it has created, reiterates why Congress must reclaim its authority on tariffs, and the many other places where the Trump administration is ignoring political and diplomatic norms, and even the law.
With so many recent flip-flops from President Donald Trump on tariffs, one has to wonder if this isn’t just about playing stock markets so Trump, his family and friends, and his enablers can profit, while average Americans see their retirement savings dwindle one day only to see them somewhat rebound the next.
With so much at stake and so much damage already done, Congress must step in. Over time, Congress has ceded its power over tariffs to the White House, allowing the president to impose tariffs in emergency situations. Trump declared an economic emergency in February — when the U.S. economy was doing fine before his tariffs caused historic drops in stock markets around the world — and cited rising fentanyl smuggling into the U.S. as a national emergency to justify his tariffs.
A bill introduced this week by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins, aims to reclaim some of the authority that Congress has ceded to the president over the last 60 years. It would reestablish the constitutional requirement that the president notify Congress of the imposition of or increase in a tariff within 48 hours. That notification must include an explanation of the president’s reasoning for imposing or raising the tariff, and provide analysis of potential impact on American businesses and consumers, something that has been woefully lacking from Trump’s recent tariff announcements. The math behind the tariffs announced last week was widely derided by economists as being woefully inaccurate.
The bill also requires that, within 60 days, Congress must pass a joint resolution of approval of the new tariff or it will expire. Perhaps most importantly, the bill would restore Congress’ ability to end tariffs at any time by passing a resolution of disapproval.
“The unilateral imposition of tariffs by the president without congressional oversight undermines Congress’ constitutional role and can have serious consequences for American workers and businesses,” Collins said in a statement about the bill earlier this week. “This bill ensures that Congress retains its responsibility in major tariff decisions that affect our economy, our trading relationships, and the prices families pay for everyday goods.”
Collins had previously strongly condemned, and voted to end, Trump’s tariffs on imports from Canada, noting how they would hurt the strong relationship between Maine and Canada, and that a miniscule amount of fentanyl is smuggled across the northern U.S. border.
Collins, the only Republican member of Congress from New England, has been criticized by many people for not doing enough to stand up to Trump. It is worth noting that, with the Trump administration targeting Maine with budget cuts and freezes because they want the state to change its policies on transgender athletes, Collins has done more than any other elected officials to get those punitive actions stopped or reversed. She has successfully gotten funding restored to several federally funded programs in Maine. Of course, it would be better to stop such vindictive cuts before they happened, but it is unclear if anyone can stop Trump’s petty revenge against those he thinks have wronged him, including Collins.
Collins’ vote last week against a Senate budget blueprint that could slash federal funding for programs like Medicaid, along with her support for the new tariff legislation, are important initial steps in a more forceful pushback against the Trump administration and Republican leadership in Congress.
Reclaiming Congress’ authority over tariffs is a good place to begin to rein in the chaos of the Trump administration and to try to stop the damage he is causing in the U.S. and around the world.
