Senate bid to derail Trump’s tariffs fails

A GOP’s senator’s bid to rein in President Donald Trump’s tariff authority was scuttled after a Republican colleague blocked its consideration this month on the Senate floor.

Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker needed agreement of all senators to get a vote on whether to attach his plan to an annual defense bill. But the senator leading the defense debate, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, said Tuesday he wouldn’t go along because it risked holding up Pentagon funding and wasn’t directly related.

That shelves Corker’s proposal to require presidents to get congressional approval for tariffs that are imposed on national security grounds, which Trump cited in announcing levies on steel and aluminum imports from Mexico, Canada and the European Union.

John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said last week that GOP leaders were concerned that the legislation would publicly air intraparty differences with Trump over trade ahead of November’s elections.

Corker, who is retiring in January, is increasingly open about his frustrations with Trump’s trade and other policies. On the Senate floor, Corker accused Republican lawmakers of being afraid to “poke the bear” when they find themselves on the other side of the president.