WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, is leading a bill with other House Democrats that would require congressional approval for all new tariffs.
President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs earlier this month before pausing some on Wednesday for 90 days. He raised the tariff rate on Chinese imports to a total of 145%.
As the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee’s top Democrat, Sewell said the back-and-forth on tariffs is causing “chaos” in the economy. The Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act would permanently turn off the new 10% baseline tariffs on all countries, Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada, and the higher tariffs imposed on some countries that are currently paused.
“We have one man in the White House who is willing to throw the global economy into disarray just so that he can have foreign leaders and CEOs come begging to him on bended knee,” Sewell said in a statement.
It excludes congressional approval on apolitical tariff actions, such as “trade remedies, safeguards and trade agreement dispute settlement.”
The Constitution gives trade authority to Congress. Trump has used emergency powers to impose tariffs this term.
Recently, similar bills have also been introduced to take back some of Congress’ authority over tariffs. In the House, Rep. Don Bacon, R-NE, introduced the bipartisan Trade Review Act that requires congressional approval for unilateral tariffs imposed by the president. U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-IA, and Maria Cantwell, D-WA, are sponsoring the Trade Review Act in the Senate. Seven GOP senators, including Grassley, are supporting the measure. The trade bills are not expected to advance in the Republican-controlled House or Senate this Congress.
Sewell also led a letter Friday with Ways and Means Democrats asking for accountability from the Trump administration on its reversal of tariffs after he posted just hours before Wednesday’s announcement on Truth Social, saying, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT.”
The Democrats are requesting information on whether market manipulation was a factor in the Truth Social post and subsequent tariff reversal. The stock market quickly rose after Trump paused some tariffs.
“Donald Trump’s chaotic trade actions have thrown the global economy into turmoil, and working-class Alabamians are hurting,” Sewell said in a statement. “The American people deserve to know if any of Trump’s billionaire friends knew about the tariff pause before it was announced and profited off Trump’s policies that are hurting everyday Americans.”
The letter asks for details on the timeline of deliberations regarding the tariffs, documentation showing the timing of the tariffs, and communications between the U.S. Trade Representative and financial institutions, private investors, or public relations within the 72 hours before and after the reversal announcement, among others.
The letter was sent to the president, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Treasury, the Department of Commerce and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lawmakers asked for the disclosure of the details within 15 days.
Sens. Adam Schiff, D-CA, and Ruben Gallego, D-AZ, also sent a letter to the acting director of the Office of Government Ethics asking for an investigation into what While House official, Trump family members or other administration officials knew about the trade policy reversal before it was announced and could have used the information to engage in insider trading.