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Congress has power but the question of freedom

President Donald J. Trump turns to the joint session of Congress as Vice President J. D. Vens and Speaker of the house Mike Johnson (R-LA) listen to the House of the House of the Capitolian building on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 in Washington, Colombia County.

Jabin BotSford | The Washington Post | Gets the image

President Donald Trump is on rate Spree – and unclear when Congress I’ll try to stop it even if it has potential force for that.

On Wednesday, Trump presented a virtually global tariff regime, clapping 10% on almost every country on the planet and sad dozen of them with much larger tariff rates.

Putting the policy of policy instantly torpedo the US and worldwide, enhancing the recession and causing aggressive revenge in China.

The new US import duties are fulfilled by other protectionist politicians, which Trump, which calls tariffs as economic treatment, has come to the post in January.

Trump’s tariff powers

Trap Executive order The implementation of its so -called mutual tariffs says it receives its powers for action from four sources in the US Code.

Among them is the international law on emergency economic powers and the National Emergency Law.

The president, which uses these laws in tandem, can declare an emergency and then impose appropriate tariffs.

The order on Wednesday announced a national emergency in response to what he called “an extraordinary and unusual threat” for America’s economy and safety.

This threat is based on the “domestic economic policy of key trading partners and structural imbalances in the world trading system,” the order reads.

Trump is the first president who used IEPA to impose tariffs, reports The Congressional Research Service.

He first addressed the law in February when he announced new tariffs in Canada, Mexico and China.

Tariffs powers from separation to branch

According to the US Constitution, the powers of taxation and tariffs fall into the legislative industry.

Article 1, Section 8 The Constitution states that “Congress should have the right to put and collect taxes, duties, self -staff and entry”, as well as “regulate commerce with foreign countries.”

But Congress passed laws that give the president some tariff powers. And the courts usually supported this power.

In the early days of the United States, tariffs were the main source of government income.

Even after the 16th amendment ratified in 1913, the federal income tax was implemented, the tariffs remained in force.

However, after the economic depression and the law on tariffs, the Congress gave the president several troops over the tariffs.

“The main reason was that it was not easy for them,” Scott Bomba said in a telephone interview, editor -in -chief of the National Constitution Center, citing legislators.

Now there are at least six federal statutes that delegate the president some tariff authorities, reports the Congressional Research Service.

What does Congress do?

As the stock market deepen, some two -party oppositions on Trump’s tariffs begin to appear.

Four Republican Senators – Mitch McConselle and Rand Paul from Kentucky, Susan Collins with Men and Lisa Murkovsky Alaska – on Wednesday voted with all 45 Democrats and two independent ones to take a measure that would be measured. block the tariffs of Trump on Canadian imports.

Democratic Senator Tim Cain from Virginia, who is the author of this resolution, said: “There will be a large -scale economic gap in this country,” if the Congress does not cancel the tariffs for the president.

“Donald Trump has begun to engage with the strongest economy in the world,” Kane said, reports NBC NEWS. “In two months, he turned it into one with flashing red lights and questions in two months. We must use the tools at our disposal to make him turn.”

And A bill on double -sided Senate On Thursday introduced to force the president to inform Congress 48 hours before imposing new tariffs, and allow Congress 60 days to either approve these duties or allow them to end.

“For too long, Congress has delegated its obvious powers to regulate the interstate and foreign executive power,” Senator Chuck Gelley said on Thursday.

“Based on my previous efforts as chairman of the Finance Committee, I join the Senator (Maria) Cantwell to introduce a law on a bilateral trade inspection of 2025 to restore the constitutional role of Congress and make sure Congress has a voice in trade policy,” said Gresley.

But while Congress may adopt legislation that abolishes or restricts the powers of the president, it is less clear whether the legislators will do it.

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Any attempts to strengthen Trump’s tariffs are likely to face the presidential veto.

And it is unlikely that the Republican House and the Senate will overcome one, and even more so whether the House will vote for supporting the tariff measures of the Senate in the first place.

Urged Trump Efforts to cancel the tariffs to Canada, “which” which “will go anywhere, because the house will never approve, and I will never sign it as your president.”

A more viable way to challenge Trump’s tariffs can be through courts.

Federal lawsuit Filled on Thursday in Florida, claimed that the preliminary use of Trump IEPA to introduce wide tariffs for Chinese imports was unconstitutional.

This emergency law “does not allow the president to impose tariffs for the American people,” says the new civil liberties, a conservative propaganda group.

A legal task may be more threats to Trump than in Congress. But the scientific -research service of Congress notes This court precedent “gave the president a wide latitude to carry out his tariff authorities.”

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