The White House on April 28 warned that President Donald Trump will veto a Senate resolution that seeks to terminate the administration’s global tariffs.
“This resolution would undermine the administration’s efforts to address the unusual and extraordinary threats to national security and economic stability, posed by the conditions reflected in the large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficit,” the OMB memo said.
If passed, the resolution “would undermine U.S. national and economic security” and the president “would veto it,” according to the White House. The memo said that Trump is using his power under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to address threats to the United States.
Congress can override a president’s veto only by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, rather than a simple majority.
The memo went on to say that the emergency declaration and tariffs are meant to address the “lack of reciprocity” between the United States and its trade partners. The situation has created a $1.2 trillion trade deficit annually and provided “artificial advantages” to foreign goods over domestically produced ones, it noted.
Trump would also veto the measure because the emergency order targets the Chinese communist regime’s non-market practices and policies that impact U.S. manufacturing as well as national security, the OMB said.
On April 2, Trump announced 10 percent baseline tariffs on nearly every country in the world, while imposing additional reciprocal tariffs on many countries. A week later, the president paused the reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, except for China, to solicit deals more advantageous for the United States.
In an opinion article published by Fox News after Trump’s initial announcement, Paul said he opposes the tariffs because they would increase costs for consumers.
“If you think eggs are expensive, just wait until the new tariffs hit cars. Goldman Sachs estimates tariffs on imported vehicles could raise prices by $5,000 to $15,000. That’s because tariffs are taxes on foreign imports that are paid by American consumers,” Paul wrote.
Weeks before the April 2 announcement, Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada due to what the administration said was a lack of border security and continued fentanyl trafficking into the United States. The White House later confirmed that those tariffs would remain in effect during the separate, 90-day pause.
Earlier this month, the Senate voted to undo the levies on Canada. Four Republican members of the upper chamber, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Paul voted in favor of suspending those tariffs.
The Epoch Times has contacted a White House spokesperson for additional comment.
