U.S. Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today introduced legislation to require congressional approval of tariffs designated under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
The bill requires the president to submit to Congress any proposal to adjust imports in the interest of national security under Section 232. For a 60-day period following submission, legislation to approve the proposal will qualify for expedited consideration, guaranteeing the opportunity for debate and a vote. The requirement would apply to all Section 232 actions moving forward, as well as those taken within the past two years.
“While we all agree on the need to ensure the international trade system is fair for American workers, companies and consumers, unfortunately, the administration is abusing the Section 232 authority delegated to the president by Congress,” said Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Making claims regarding national security to justify what is inherently an economic question not only harms the very people we all want to help and impairs relations with our allies but also could invite our competitors to retaliate. If the president truly believes invoking Section 232 is necessary to protect the United States from a genuine threat, he should make the case to Congress and to the American people and do the hard work necessary to secure congressional approval.”
“For North Dakota farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers, exporting is critical, but the administration’s wrongheaded trade policies are putting their livelihoods in jeopardy,” said Heitkamp. “Our bipartisan bill would make sure Congress has a key oversight role if a president imposes tariffs under the claim of national security reasons. Right now, the president is implementing tariffs on our allies, like Canada, Mexico, and the EU – countries that don’t pose national security threats but which are critical trading partners for North Dakota. The implications of these tariffs are significant – on our own producers and businesses because of retaliatory tariffs we’re now seeing and on our relationships with our allies who could use the same claims of national security to impose tariffs on us. Huge economic policy decisions like tariffs shouldn’t be taken lightly, and Congress should serve as a needed check to make sure we aren’t losing out in the end.”
“Tariffs are taxes on American consumers. They hurt American workers, families, and employers. Imposing them under the false pretense of ‘national security’ weakens our economy, our credibility with other nations, and invites retaliation,” said Toomey. “The decision to use these taxes should not be taken lightly or unilaterally. By passing this legislation, Congress can reassert its constitutional responsibility (Article 1, Section 8, Clauses 1 and 3) on trade and ensure Americans can keep buying affordable products and keep selling our goods abroad. I hope my Democratic and Republican colleagues join this common-sense effort.”
“While I believe that we should hold China accountable for unfair trade practices and I strongly support strong trade enforcement rules that protect American workers, the President should not be relying on an obscure provision of a trade law intended to uphold national security in order to impose tariffs on our allies. Instead, he should focus on building international coalitions to hold bad actors accountable and protect American workers,” said Warner.
more at link:
https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/chair/release/senators-introduce-legislation-to-require-congressional-approval-of-national-security-designated-tariffs
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