Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks to Give Congress More Power on Tariffs

‘Congress has a constitutional role through the Commerce Clause on trade matters, and we should re-assume that role,’ Sen. Chuck Grassley told reporters.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during a Senate Judiciary hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 22, 2019. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced new legislation on April 3 that aims to reassert Congress’s authority over tariffs following President Donald Trump’s sweeping global levies unveiled on Wednesday.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) cosponsored the measure, which would limit Trump’s ability to impose tariffs. It would also require the president to give Congress 48 hours’ notice before levying new tariffs and set a 60-day expiration date on all new tariffs imposed. If passed, the bill would also give Congress the authority to cancel any tariff at any time.