Congress must take back its authority on trade and war

The United States Constitution grants Congress relatively few powers.

Among the most important powers granted through Article 1 Section 8 are the powers “to regulate commerce with foreign nations” and to declare war.

On these critical points, Congress has clearly abdicated its responsibility and ceded undue authority to the executive branch.

President Trump should not have the unilateral authority to impose tariffs under highly questionable national security grounds. But it’s allowed by Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

These tariffs merely raise costs to American consumers, threaten more jobs than they protect, invite retaliatory tariffs and do nothing to protect the United States.

Yet, a bipartisan led by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, to require tariffs sought under Section 232 to be approved by Congress was recently blocked by Republican leaders in the Senate.

Why? Fear of upsetting the president. “I would bet that 95 percent of the people on this side of the aisle support intellectually this amendment,” Corker said. “And a lot of them would vote for it if it came to a vote. But, no, no, no. ‘Gosh, we might poke the bear’ is the language I’ve been hearing in the hallways.”

Meanwhile, on matters of war, the United States has been involved in conflicts on the other side of the planet in a growing list of countries with minimal congressional oversight, scrutiny or authorization.

Authorizations for Use of Military Force approved in 2001 and 2002 at best only faintly authorize some of our efforts in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. But it’s a stretch to argue that our ongoing interventions in countries like Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen were or are authorized by either the 2001 or 2002 AUMFs.

Yet, with few exceptions, Congress has shown an inability to do anything about.

While we question the need for ongoing American military intervention in the Middle East, Africa or Afghanistan, if Congress is going to expend American resources and lives in those regions, the least Congress can do is define, debate and either authorize or end interventions accordingly.

Unfortunately, on matters of trade and war, Congress has failed to live up to its obligations and therefore allowed the executive branch to run wild.