Why Is the President, Not Congress, in Charge of Tariffs?

U.S. President Donald Trump, who once called himself a “tariff man,” is making clear that his love of import duties is more than words on a social media post. The announcement last week that he was following through on his threat to place steep tariffs on China as well as two major trading partners—Canada and Mexico—unsettled financial markets and global leaders.

 

“We don’t want to be here,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who warned Americans that there would be countermeasures that would make them feel pain in their pocketbooks and at the workplace. As stocks plummeted 600 points on Monday due to fears of trade wars, the United States and Mexico announced a one-month pause as they tried to work out a deal. Later in day, Canada announced the same.

 

Whatever happens with this round of tariff threats—as there are sure to be many more—all of this begs the question: How did presidents obtain so much power over tariffs?

 

This is not just a story about Trump. It is a story about presidential power. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress maintains clear authority over taxes and foreign commerce, the twin issues that define tariffs. What allows Trump to take such an aggressive action without appearing to have to worry about Capitol Hill or the courts? Who vested so much authority in the  commander in chief to impact international trade relations?

 

Within a nation that continues to venerate the balance of power as a founding principle in school textbooks, Trump’s threatened trade wars offer an ongoing reminder as to how much power Congress has delegated to the executive branch.

 

And the possibilities for what the occupant of the Oval Office can do are enormous and sometimes terrifying in scale and scope.

 

Presidential dominance over tariff policy was not always the way that things were.

 

 

Read Complete Story Here: DNYUZ

 

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