Senators Maria Cantwell, Chuck Grassley introduce bipartisan bill to check Trump's power to unilaterally set tariffs

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: The Cascadia Advocate

Our very own United States Senator Maria Cantwell announced this morning that Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa has joined her in introducing new legislation that would check Donald Trump’s power to unilaterally set tariffs. While the legislation may not go anywhere in the Senate — or die in the Republican-controlled House even if it did — it indicates that more Republicans are finding it hard to stomach what Trump is doing. Notably, Grassley was not one of the four Republicans who crossed over to support Tim Kaine’s resolution to rescind Trump’s tariffs against Canada yesterday.

But today, Grassley went on record as saying he wants Congress to reclaim at least some of its constitutional authority to set tariffs for the United States.

“Trade wars can be as devastating, which is why the Founding Fathers gave Congress the clear constitutional authority over war and trade,” said Cantwell in a statement.

“This bill reasserts Congress’s role over trade policy to ensure rules-based trade policies are transparent, consistent, and benefit the American public.”

Read more: https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2025/04/senators-maria-cantwell-chuck-grassley-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-check-trumps-power-to-unilaterally-set-tariffs.html?jetpack_skip_subscription_popup

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[appmanga]

1. I wouldn't immediately dismiss this...

...first of all, it's starting out bi-partisan. And even though House Republicans have been more in line, the fact that Anna Paulina Luna(tic)'s discharge petition forced Moses Johnson to prevent votes at the end of this week shows leading the GOP conference is still like herding cats. There are a lot of red state reps whose farmers are going to take a beating, and there are auto plants in SC, TN, and GA that might have to resort to layoffs.

Tuesday's elections have to have been a wake up call for a lot of Republicans, and when you have the Wall Street Journal and Rand Paul saying very loudly "tariffs are taxes", that's going to make believers out of people who couldn't accept that fact from Kamala Harris. The truest of truisms in politics is people vote their pocketbooks, and these tariffs are going to hit those pocketbooks hard, as well as 401ks.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. If things get bad enough, Republiconned Congress members might override tRump's veto. . . . nt

[onenote]

3. Almost certainly won't get a veto-proof majority

Assuming it gets enough support to come to a floor vote in the Senate, and also assuming it could pass in the House -- both far far from certain-- it is pretty much guaranteed that it won't get enough support to overcome an inevitable Trump veto.

Republican lemmings are going to do what lemmings do. The best we can do is get them on record so we can beat the snot out of them in 2026.

[ToxMarz]

4. How exactly did tariffs become a Presidental power

Some fool Republicans in congress at some point gave it away I assume?

[maxsolomon]

5. They passed a law allowing the Prezdint to impose tariffs in "Emergencies".

International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.

Trump simply declared an Emergency:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-declares-national-emergency-to-increase-our-competitive-edge-protect-our-sovereignty-and-strengthen-our-national-and-economic-security/

[Bengus81]

8. And that's exactly what won in the Senate to stop that POS by declaring a FAKE NEWS

Emergency. Now it's up to the House to shut that fucker down.

[maxsolomon]

11. THIS House of Representatives?

Don't hold your breath.

[maxsolomon]

6. Look at my Junior Senator doing something!

Every couple years, we're reminded she's still in office.

[tanyev]

7. Same Chuck Grassley who announced he would preside over the 2020 vote certification

before Pence said, “Uh, no, that’s gonna be me.”? What’s going on here?

[Bengus81]

9. Eh...Grassley doesn't want his Corporate buds to get hurt by tariffs.

So...let's get back to killing off SS and Medicare instead.

[riversedge]

10. ...The only way to get this into law for the next few years would be for veto-proof majorities to pass it and then overr

..........The only way to get this into law for the next few years would be for veto-proof majorities to pass it and then override Trump’s veto. That’s extremely unlikely to happen, but it’s still important to be introducing, refining, and developing legislation in the meantime, so that when there is an opportunity to do executive powers reform, a vehicle can be put together more quickly and moved through the legislative process.