1 week Ago
The dangers of an imperial presidency have been sounded — as if through a bullhorn speaking into a Marshall amplifier turned up to 11 — over the past three months. While there is room for debate over the effectiveness and the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s policies regarding immigration and government efficiency and Ukraine, it is notable that his tariffs have finally drawn the attention of average Americans. Those tariffs also finally have drawn the attention of Congress.
Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have introduced the Trade Review Act of 2025.
Cantwell and Grassley both are members of the Senate Finance Committee; aside from that — and the fact they are from states that depend heavily on international trade — they share little in common politically. “Trade wars can be devastating, which is why the Founding Fathers gave Congress the clear Constitutional authority over war and trade,” Cantwell said 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.
Arbitrary tariffs, particularly on our allies, damage U.S. export opportunities and raise prices for American consumers and businesses.
” If passed, the legislation would require a president to notify Congress of an increase in tariffs, explaining the reasoning and providing an analysis of the impact on businesses and consumers. Tariffs would expire within 60 days if not approved by the legislature, and Congress could end them with a vote of disapproval. The bill would require a veto-proof majority in both chambers.
Trump, who has imposed an ever-increasing roster of tariffs on trading partners, obviously would disapprove of such legislation. But at least seven Republican senators have co-sponsored the bill, indicating that it might have some heft behind it. The damage caused by Trump’s tariffs — some of which have since been paused — has been swiftly realized.
The stock market has plummeted since the president’s self-proclaimed “liberation day” last week, reducing Americans’ retirement savings and generating pushback even from many of his supporters. For Congress, the outcry is long overdue. Regardless of who is president or which party is in power, lawmakers have spent decades abdicating their duties and allowing the executive branch to expand its power.
In recent decades, members of Congress have abandoned their authority for declaring war, writing the federal budget and issuing tariffs. As columnist George Will of The Washington Post wrote of Congress in 2021: “They don’t care that they don’t matter.” With his return to office, Trump has quickly abused that presidential power.
He has issued an executive order that overturns birthright citizenship and clearly violates the 14th Amendment; has ignored congressional mandates regarding federal spending; and has shut down agencies established by Congress. The courts will have the final say regarding these actions, but that can require months or even years. It is shameful that congressional members waited until their constituents were impacted by tariffs before potentially taking a stand against the president’s dictatorial actions, and it calls to mind an idiom about shutting the barn door.
But if Trump’s insistence on imposing a tax on U.S. consumers and hurting American exporters reminds Congress that it is a co-equal branch of government, it will be the first of many steps necessary to save our democracy from an imperial presidency.
— The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.).
