Senators insist on a say in trade policy
Some worry tariffs will hurt farmers, consumers
WASHINGTON – The Senate signaled Wednesday it is ready to push back on President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Thirty-nine Republicans and 49 Democrats backed a resolution calling for Congress to have a role when the president imposes trade barriers in the name of national security, as he did this year on steel and aluminum.
The largely symbolic resolution came a day after Trump released a list of $200 billion in Chinese goods that the administration said would be subject to a 10 percent tariff. Beijing vowed to retaliate with its own tariffs.
Even though the nonbinding measure approved Wednesday does not address the most recent U.S.-Chinese trade dispute, it signaled an increased willingness by the Republican-led Congress to stand up to Trump over trade. Many GOP lawmakers are concerned that retaliatory tariffs from China, the European Union and elsewhere could raise consumer costs and hurt farmers and manufacturers before the midterm elections.
The resolution, led by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., is focused on Trump’s decision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico, the European Union and others.
“It’s a baby step,” conceded Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Corker and other supporters described the motion as a necessary step to stand up against what they called Trump’s abuse of authority.
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who was one of 11 senators to vote against the measure, said it would unnecessarily tie Trump’s hands and those of future presidents. Presidents need the free- dom to negotiate, Perdue said, and Trump is simply trying to restore fairness to a trade imbalance with U.S. trading partners. “This is about making sure America is treated fairly,” he said.
Kevin Madden, a longtime Republican consultant, described the vote as something “short of a warning shot” and noted that building a coalition of senators to support a binding change in policy would be a much heavier lift.
“Republican senators know the potential negative effects tariffs will have on their home state economies, and this is one way to send a message to the White House before having to get into a legislative showdown,” Madden said.