Donald Trump has been hurtling the country through chaos like a lone dictator. The Republican leaders have given him free rein to run roughshod over the democracy. Finally, one representative had the courage to stand up against the tweeter-in-chief.
At long last, we have discovered what triggered the GOP into action — money. The GOP dominated House and Senate stood by while Trump created an appalling, horrific humanitarian crisis among people seeking asylum from certain death. They let the president abandon thousands and thousands of people during the worst natural disaster in the history of the country.
Now, Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) has introduced a bill to limit POTUS’ power when it comes to certain tariffs, The Washington Post reported. The legislation read that the president must get Congress’ approval before he can levy tariffs “in the interest of national security.”
That was the loophole the man sitting in the Oval Office drove through to impose tariffs on the European Union (EU), Mexico, and our friends to the north, Canada. Oh sure, Canada has been a huge national security risk.
The bill gave the legislators 60 days to go over Trump’s proposed tariffs. Then, the House and Senate would fast-track the commander-in-chief’s proposals. That would give them the ability to debate and pass the proposals before the president unleashed his tariffs on the world.
Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced a companion bill, one that has actually received some support from the Democrats. It would be retroactive for two years and applicable to any tariff falling under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
CEO of the Institute for Supply Management, Tom Derry, told Business Insider that Trump’s tariffs have already caused “quite a disruption:”
‘Statements that we hear are that people are already looking for alternative locations for supply. They’re already seeing their suppliers impose higher prices and are paying higher prices for steel and aluminum products. It’s been quite a disruption. If you have a highly machined part that requires special skills, it takes a while to identify qualified suppliers.’
Naturally, the Donald was not pleased with the Senate version of the bill. POTUS contacted Corker and encouraged the retiring senator from Tennessee to put a stop on his legislation.
The House Republicans are particularly worried about Trump unilaterally imposing tariffs on aluminum and steel with the country’s largest trading partners.
The White House imposed a 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods to the tune of $34 billion. In return, China imposed additional tariffs on the U.S. in an equal amount, $34 billion.
Economists and politicians have been concerned that Trump would kick off a trade war that would damage the U.S. economy and relationships with our closest allies.
Derry said the U.S. economy has already seen a “real immediate negative impact:”
‘Investment decisions are being postponed because there is no certainty around the trade relationships. And that has a real immediate negative impact on the US economy, because rather than making capital investment decision we’re just postponing them. That capital expenditure is not being made, we’re not adding to production capacity.’
Featured Image via Getty Images/Handout.
