WASHINGTON — Today, Ed Gresser, Vice President and Director for Trade and Global Markets at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), issued the following statement regarding the “Congressional Trade Authority Act,” introduced by Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.)
“Representatives Beyer and DelBene are absolutely right in requiring Congressional approval for any tariff action taken under a ‘national security’ headline. The Constitution gives Congress power over ‘Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises,’ without ambiguity and with good reason.
“As policy, if a president (or any single individual) can use ‘national security’ declarations to create his or her own system of tariffs or other taxes, and impose whatever rates he or she wants on any product or country, Americans will be at constant risk of sudden price hikes in grocery stores, auto dealerships, real estate offices and machinery factories, as well as job loss and business failures in export manufacturing and the farm economy from retaliation and consumer boycotts abroad, and other harms emerging from impulsive and ill-advised decisions.
“As governance, every future president would face temptation to use this novel power in corrupt ways, to punish critics and business rivals or to reward supporters and friends.
“Most fundamentally, personal imposition of tariffs by presidents without any Congressional instruction or approval violates the core Constitutional principle of separation of powers and damages Congress’ ‘power of the purse’.
“If a president makes a valid argument for using tariffs in a national security case – as the Biden administration did in removing Most Favored Nation tariff rates from Russian goods in 2022 – Congress will recognize it and act. If Congress does not see an emergency, then it’s likely the president has not made a persuasive case for tariffs and import limits.
“The Beyer/DelBene bill is good policy and good government. Its passage will prevent further real-world harms and help restore Constitutionally appropriate tax and trade policymaking.”
Founded in 1989, PPI is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Find an expert and learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Follow us @PPI.
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Media Contact: Ian O’Keefe – iokeefe@ppionline.org
