Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks to Give Congress More Power on Tariffs

‘Congress has a constitutional role through the Commerce Clause on trade matters, and we should re-assume that role,’ Sen. Chuck Grassley told reporters.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during a Senate Judiciary hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 22, 2019. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced new legislation on April 3 that aims to reassert Congress’s authority over tariffs following President Donald Trump’s sweeping global levies unveiled on Wednesday.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) cosponsored the measure, which would limit Trump’s ability to impose tariffs. It would also require the president to give Congress 48 hours’ notice before levying new tariffs and set a 60-day expiration date on all new tariffs imposed. If passed, the bill would also give Congress the authority to cancel any tariff at any time.

While it is unlikely the bill will ever become law, due to it needing to pass the House even if enough senators supported it, Grassley’s leading the legislation indicates that some major Republican lawmakers are less than satisfied with the president’s tariff agenda. The senator chairs the Judiciary Committee and sits on the Finance Committee, beyond being third in line for the presidency behind House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Even if the House passed the bill, it would then go to the president’s desk, who could veto it before it became law. Congress would then need a two-thirds vote in both chambers to overcome a veto.

On Wednesday, Trump announced tariffs between 10 percent and 50 percent on all U.S. trading partners worldwide, following his vows to slap reciprocal tariffs on countries to counter unfair trade practices against the United States.

The move has upended global and domestic stock markets, with the S&P 500 taking its biggest quarterly hit since 2022.

Grassley’s bill also follows a resolution from Senate Democrats on Wednesday evening seeking to nullify Trump’s February national emergency, which he declared to levy 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports.

Grassley did not join the four Republicans who crossed the aisle to support the resolution, but he suggested he was uneasy with Trump’s sweeping tariff policy without first getting Congress’s approval.

“Congress has a constitutional role through the Commerce Clause on trade matters, and we should reassume that role,” Grassley told reporters in a Tuesday press call.

Senate Majority Leader Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters on Thursday that he agreed about the need for congressional input, and indicated others in the GOP may support Grassley’s bill.

“I think there’s something to be said for having congressional review,” he said.

He added that he was inclined to support the legislation.

“This is not about clawing back power from President Trump,” Tillis said. “This is about clawing back power that should have never been conveyed to the Article II branch over decades.

“And so I’m looking at it, and I’m inclined to support it just because I love truck drivers.”

Other Republicans have given warmer reactions to the tariffs.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told reporters on Thursday that he wants Trump to zero in on China.

“Focus on China. And I think every effort we can take to delink our economy from China is beneficial, both to U.S. national security and to our economic security,” Cruz said.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told reporters that Trump’s plan “is not about imposing pain” but “about delivering us from the last four years of disaster.”

Democrats have said that Trump’s tariffs will likely drive up costs for American consumers.

“Arbitrary tariffs, particularly on our allies, damage U.S. export opportunities and raise prices for American consumers and businesses,” Cantwell said in a statement. “As representatives of the American people, Congress has a duty to stop actions that will cause them harm.”

Trump has defended the policy as an attempt to restore manufacturing in the United States and work towards removing tariff and non-tariff barriers with U.S. trading partners.