Bill Reintroduced to Would Prevent Executive Action on Tariffs Without Congress
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, reintroduced the Global Trade Accountability Act, a bill that would not allow any hike in tariffs, tightening of tariff-rate quotas, or other restrictions on imports to go forward unless the House and Senate approve. Sens. Jerry…
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Moran, R-Kan., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., co-sponsored the bill, which was first introduced in 2017. Temporary tariffs or quotas would be allowed under a national emergency but would expire after 90 days without congressional approval. “Congress has ceded far too much of its lawmaking power to the executive branch, including the power to unilaterally raise tariffs,” Lee said in a March 11 news release. “Sudden hikes in trade barriers can have real and devastating impacts on American small businesses, farmers, and families, including in my home state of Utah.” Paul said that in “a constitutional republic, tax increases should never be imposed by the whim of one person.”