House Republican Will Introduce Bill Challenging Trump’s Tariffs—As Speaker Johnson Reportedly Urges Tariff Support

 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., at a news conference on March 25 in Washington, DC.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., is planning to introduce legislation Monday that would restrict President Donald Trump's tariffs, as GOP opposition grows against the president's signature economic policy—though House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is reportedly so far telling lawmakers to back the president.

Key Facts

House Republicans should “hold the line” on Trump’s tariffs and not oppose them, Johnson told his colleagues on a call Sunday, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, saying they should trust that Trump and his instincts will ultimately improve the economy, and just give the tariffs “time” to play out.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., asked for House lawmakers to receive a briefing on the tariffs because they haven’t been looped in on what the president’s plan is for them, the Journal and Punchbowl News report, with Johnson reportedly saying he’d speak with Trump and get someone to brief lawmakers.

Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on nearly all countries last week that have wreaked havoc in the stock market and spurred economists to warn of a possible recession, leading even some Republican lawmakers to speak out against the policy and the tariffs’ possible impacts on their constituents.

Seven Republican senators have so far signed on as co-sponsors of a Senate bill that would require the White House to get congressional approval to impose tariffs, with Bacon telling CBS News he’ll introduce a companion bill in the House on Monday.

It’s so far unlikely that the legislation will actually pass Congress—let alone get a majority large enough to overrule Trump if he vetoes it—though Bacon said he thinks, “If we continue to see the stock market go a certain direction, or if we see inflation or unemployment shift in a bad way, I think then this bill becomes a very viable bill.”

Key Facts

House Republicans should “hold the line” on Trump’s tariffs and not oppose them, Johnson told his colleagues on a call Sunday, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, saying they should trust that Trump and his instincts will ultimately improve the economy, and just give the tariffs “time” to play out.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., asked for House lawmakers to receive a briefing on the tariffs because they haven’t been looped in on what the president’s plan is for them, the Journal and Punchbowl News report, with Johnson reportedly saying he’d speak with Trump and get someone to brief lawmakers.

Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on nearly all countries last week that have wreaked havoc in the stock market and spurred economists to warn of a possible recession, leading even some Republican lawmakers to speak out against the policy and the tariffs’ possible impacts on their constituents.

Seven Republican senators have so far signed on as co-sponsors of a Senate bill that would require the White House to get congressional approval to impose tariffs, with Bacon telling CBS News he’ll introduce a companion bill in the House on Monday.

It’s so far unlikely that the legislation will actually pass Congress—let alone get a majority large enough to overrule Trump if he vetoes it—though Bacon said he thinks, “If we continue to see the stock market go a certain direction, or if we see inflation or unemployment shift in a bad way, I think then this bill becomes a very viable bill.”

Key Background

Trump’s sweeping tariffs on nearly all countries fulfilled a longtime campaign promise by the president, who has long championed widespread tariffs despite warnings from experts that doing so would destabilize the economy. While so far limited, the willingness of even some Republicans to diverge from Trump on tariffs has been notable, as GOP lawmakers in both the House and Senate have so far been overwhelmingly supportive of the president’s agenda. Republicans in Congress have been typically unwilling to push back on even proposals that have weakened Congress’ power, such as canceling congressionally approved funding. The discussion over the new Senate and House legislation that would claw back Congress’ power on tariffs comes after Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced a resolution opposing Trump’s previous tariffs on Canada, which passed Wednesday with the support of four Republican senators: Collins, McConnell, Murkowski and Paul.