Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)
U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), who serves on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, today issued the following statement after the House voted to narrowly defeat a Republican rule that included legislative language which would have preemptively surrendered congressional authority to end President Trump’s tariffs:
“For the past year Trump’s illegal tariffs have crushed our economic growth, hit American families with higher costs, killed the very manufacturing jobs we were told they would multiply, and alienated our closest allies. It is heartening that a handful of Republicans finally stood up to Trump to put a stop to this madness, and I hope that more of our colleagues will join them as we move on to consider measures to terminate tariffs on Canada and other key allies and trading partners.
“At the same time, it is a shame that most Republicans again tried to surrender Congress’ power as a coequal branch of government to check a president who is behaving like a mad king. This is particularly depressing given the fact that the trade powers Trump is illegally usurping are expressly granted to Congress under the Constitution. The American people badly need their Congress to show courage, and to fight for them. Let us hope that this small step in that direction will be a harbinger of more to come.”
Economic analysis by the Tax Foundation finds that Trump’s tariffs cost American families $1,000 last year, while similar analysis from Congress’ Joint Economic Committee put the figure at $1,625.
Beyer chairs the New Democrat Coalition’s Trade Task Force, and is the sponsor of the Congressional Trade Authority Act, which would rein in presidential abuses of authorities under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
Beyer is the co-lead, with Rep. Suzan DelBene, of legislation to end abuses of International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff authorities, and an original cosponsor of the Repealing Outdated and Unilateral Tariff Authorities Act, which would repeal Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930; the Reclaim Trade Powers Act, which would strike Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a law that currently allows the President to impose sweeping 15% tariffs on all imports under a “balance of payments” crisis; and the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, which would halt President Trump’s trade wars, repeal tariffs, and reclaim Congress’ lawful authority over tariffs.