Reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries will take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on April 9.
A group of House Democrats has moved to force a vote on a resolution to block President Donald Trump’s global reciprocal tariffs.
Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), and Richard Neal (D-Mass.) on April 8 introduced
the measure, which would nullify
the emergency authority Trump cited to enact the tariffs.
The measure has an additional 23 co-sponsors. When it will be voted on is to be determined.
“By implementing these tariffs, Trump has now imposed the largest and most regressive tax in modern history, sent the stock market into its worst plunge since COVID, and is risking a global recession,” they said in
a statement.
“These tariffs are nothing more than a sales tax on American families, driving up prices on everything from groceries to cars.”
Meeks and the other Democratic members of Congress say that Trump has no emergency authority to enact the tariffs.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House for comment on the disapproval resolution. Trump is almost certain to veto this measure if it passes Congress.
Reciprocal tariffs on about 60 countries and trade blocs will take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on April 9. China will be hit with the
highest tariffs, which went up to 104 percent after Beijing rejected Trump’s demand to withdraw China’s tit-for-tat tariffs.
Last week, across-the-board 10 percent tariffs went into
effect on most countries.
The Senate last week
passed a disapproval resolution to cancel Trump’s tariffs on Canada as four Republicans joined all Democrats in voting for it. It is a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods and a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy imports. The House is unlikely to take up the measure.
House Republicans last month
blocked a similar resolution through a procedural maneuver.
Trump said on April 7 that there would not be a pause on the tariffs.
Congressional Republicans have largely stood behind Trump’s stance.
“The president is a dealmaker if nothing else, and he’s going to continue to deal country by country with each of them,” said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
“We’ve been losing jobs left and right. Farmers want to see a fair deal for our products, both in Canada and in Mexico and from the [European Union].”
There have also been concerns from Republicans.
“Tariffs are like whiskey: A little whiskey, under the right circumstances, can be refreshing—but too much whiskey, under the wrong circumstances, can make you drunk as a goat,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.).
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), along with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), introduced
a bill this month that would allow tariffs implemented by the president to remain in effect after 60 days only if Congress approves.
The administration came out against the bill in an April 7
statement, saying it “would dangerously hamper the president’s authority and duty to determine our foreign policy and protect our national security.”
In the three days after the tariff announcement, the stock market experienced declines before rebounding on Tuesday.
President Trump has imposed tariffs on imports to reduce the nation’s trade deficit and boost domestic manufacturing. Acknowledging the stock market’s drop in response, the president
this week said, “Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
