5/24/18
Republican senators are scrambling to squash President Trump's floated tariffs on imported vehicles amid a growing fight between Congress and the White House on trade. Several GOP senators — including GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the chairman of the Finance Committee — warned on Thursday that the administration's proposed plan would backfire by negatively impacting American families. Hatch, in a statement, called Trump's decision to investigate potential tariffs "deeply misguided. Instead of taking from the pocketbooks of hardworking Americans, I urge the administration to remain focused on addressing China’s trade practices and to work constructively with our trading partners," he said. GOP Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa.), a consistent Trump ally, added that the tariffs are a "bad idea" and that "doing it under the false pretense of national security--Section 232--is an even worse idea, as it invites retaliation and weakens our credibility on actual trade disputes."
The backlash from Congressional Republicans comes after Trump, on Wednesday, asked the Commerce Department to investigate whether he could levy upward of 25 percent tariffs on imported automobiles under Section 232 of trade law. Section 232 investigations are used to determine the impact of imports on national security. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) added that the floated tariffs appear "to be either an attempt to affect domestic politics ahead of the election or for some other transactional purpose regarding ongoing trade discussions. I am very concerned about the president abusing the authorities granted to him in Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962," he added. "This is a dangerous course and should be abandoned immediately.”
