Domestic opposition to Trump's tariffs

WashingtonPushing the country into the abyss of recession and shattering the foundations of free trade that have underpinned the wealth of the United States have caused a stir in the markets and also in Republican ranks. Donald Trump seems to have given some of his congressmen compelling reasons to overcome their fear of retaliation and rise up. Four senators—Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, and Lisa Murkowski—have joined forces with the Democrats to roll back tariffs on Canada. They are not the only ones within the party who have taken action against Trump.

Last week, Republican Senator Charles E. Grassley introduced legislation with Democrat Maria Cantwell to limit Trump's power to impose tariffs. The bill requires the president to notify Congress 48 hours in advance of any new tariffs and requires approval by the House and Senate within 60 days. Otherwise, the taxes would automatically be repealed. Half a dozen Republican senators have signed the bill. While Trump was tanking Wall Street, many Republican congressmen were grappling with the angst of their constituents and donors about the impact of the tariffs.

The National Emergencies Act allows the president to declare national emergencies to take immediate action in crisis situations, allowing him to bypass the legislative branch. Trump has been using this power to declare emergencies left, right, and center since taking office, allowing him to roll out his agenda much more aggressively. He did it with the border so he could deploy the military, and he's doing it now to declare trade war on the world. To impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada—which are in principle suspended for all products covered by the USMCA (the trade agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada)—he declared a national emergency against fentanyl, and for reciprocal tariffs, he also declared a "national emergency caused by the."

Until now, when Trump had been abusing emergency authority to accelerate his plans for mass deportations, the Republican majority in Congress had remained silent. Now, as markets have begun to collapse and as donors to Republican lawmakers have begun to bang on the door complaining about the trade war, it seems the legislature wants to try to regain its power from the executive branch.

Still, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, is already working to block the measures from coming to a vote in the House. When Trump announced the tariff pause on Wednesday, Johnson portrayed it as if last week's tariff chaos had been planned. "Look at theArt of agreement –the Republican said in a statement–. President Trump has brought many countries to the negotiating table and will deliver results for American workers, American manufacturers, and the future of the United States.” than that of the markets: skepticism. Wall Street opened lower again on Thursday, despite the 90-day truce, and Republican Senator James Lankord, who had previously opposed tariffs, stressed that uncertainty would return as soon as he left it three times, obviously.

The 90-day tariff pause also predicts a clear division within the White House economic cabinet. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who also seems to have been caught off guard by the truce decided by Trump, now has until July 8 to try to redirect the president's efforts. Bessent, who comes from Wall Street, has been one of the voices that managed to get Trump to focus only on applying tariffs to China and not on completely isolating the United States. United. Now the next three months will be a test of Bessent's influence, who, on the contrary, will have to battle with another great ally of Trump and trade war ideologue: Peter Navarro.