Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) will introduce legislation in the lower chamber that would increase Congress’s authority over tariff policy in response to President Donald Trump’s recent imposition of substantial new import duties.
Now, Bacon is bringing the same legislation to the House. However, it faces nearly insurmountable barriers to passage in currently GOP-dominated Washington.
Even if the measure were adopted by Congress, it would almost certainly be vetoed by Trump, requiring a supermajority in both chambers to override it.
“I have some beginning support on the House side [for the bill], which we'll unveil [April 7],” Bacon said during an April 6 appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
But Bacon acknowledged that the legislation would be a harder sell in the House, where Trump’s influence is substantial, and made clear that this wouldn’t be a quick effort.
“It will not pass tomorrow, or maybe in the next couple of weeks, but this will be in the queue that we can use, and it’s time that Congress restores its authorities here,” Bacon said. “And the Constitution is clear, the House and the Senate, Congress, has the power of tariffs and taxes, and we gave some of that power to the executive branch, and I think in hindsight, that was a mistake.”
Any movement toward passage, Bacon said, would likely depend on the Senate successfully passing the bill with 60 votes or more. The House could also be more likely to take it up if the markets continue to fall, he added.
On April 2, dubbed “Liberation Day” by the administration, Trump announced higher than expected tariffs on 18 major trading partners.
The move sent the stock market tumbling, with the Dow Jones falling by more than 2,200 points on April 4.
Asked about the market activity aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I don’t want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.”
Currently, the legislation lacks the support needed to pass either chamber.
Though several Republicans have joined Grassley in backing the bill—including Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine)—this comes out to just 54 votes if all Democrats back the measure, meaning at least six more Republicans would need to support it to overcome a filibuster.
In both chambers, Republican leadership holds substantial influence over what comes to the floor—and there are no indications that either chamber is likely to break with the president on the issue.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) indicated that leadership in the upper chamber was aligned with Trump on both the legality of the tariffs and the broader plan.
“I believe the president is on firm constitutional grounds,” Barrasso said.
“This is about a monumental change in the direction of our government,” he said. “This is a 180-degree change from what we had for the last four years with big government, big spending, big taxes. We have a comprehensive economic plan to get to a strong, healthy, growing economy for the American people.”
In the House, too, leadership has shown opposition to any efforts to challenge Trump’s tariffs.
