Republican Efforts to Rein In Administration on Trade Gain Support From Conservative Groups

A few more Congress members are joining Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee's efforts to limit the president's discretion to impose tariffs and quotas (see 1702100043), with a companion House bill introduced on March 15. The same day, a letter was issued to Congress members, asking them to sign on to the House or Senate bill, arguing, "U.S. economic growth is now threatened by new tariffs on steel and aluminum used by U.S. manufacturers, along with repeated threats to terminate reciprocal zero-tariff trade agreements that benefit the United States."

Twelve conservative groups signed the letter, which was led by the National Taxpayers Union, including the Club for Growth, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and FreedomWorks, which helped spur the Tea Party movement. "Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution gives Congress the authority to impose tariffs and regulate foreign commerce. Article II of the Constitution gives the President the power to negotiate international trade agreements. Over time, Congress has ceded much of its authority to establish and raise tariffs and restrict imports to the Executive Branch as long as certain conditions are met," wrote Brian Riley, director of the National Taxpayers Union's free trade initiative. "This current arrangement gives the Executive Branch virtual carte blanche to raise tariffs or otherwise restrict imports in a manner that could trigger a costly and unnecessary trade war."

However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters this week that legislative efforts to reverse tariffs won't be debated because it would require a veto-proof majority to take effect. "The thought that the president would sign a bill that would undo actions he’s taken strikes me as remote at best, and I like to use floor time in the Senate for things that actually have a chance to become law,” McConnell said, as reported in the Washington Post.