US Capitol. By Diliff
To avoid an economic catastrophe, Congress must take back the purse from Trump and immediately reassert its authority under the Constitution to decide if and when a tariff is imposed on other countries. Last Wednesday, Trump declared an illegal national emergency and imposed devastating global tariffs that are currently sinking the American and global economies. The Dow posted back-to-back losses of more than 1,500 points for the first time ever on Thursday and Friday, and it ended the day in red again. Trump's response? He golfed all weekend, previously stated he "couldn't care less" about the economic suffering of Americans, and the White House said it is not backing down today.
According to Article I of the Constitution, Congress has the power of the purse. This is an easy way to say it controls the money and just about everything having to do with it. Congress is rightly in charge of if and when to levy tariffs. So why are Congressional Republicans allowing a convicted felon, former reality TV show host, conman, and failed businessman who bankrupted casinos to illegally use emergency powers to strip Congress of its power?
The answer is an easy one. They are cowards. But even cowards can act with the correct motivation, and self-preservation is one hell of a motivation. Congressional Democrats need to provide that motivation by putting pressure on their Republican peers and forcing them to go on the record to either support or oppose the disastrous tariffs Trump is putting in place. They already sort of did this when they were able to get four Republican votes on a resolution to stop Trump's ability to put tariffs on Canada.
If the proper pressure can be applied on Congressional Republicans, there are three viable options to stop Trump and repeal or modify the economically devastating tariffs he is putting in place. The first is a joint resolution cancelling the tariffs. The second is budget-related legislation that takes money away from enforcing the tariffs. And the third is a new law restricting Trump's authority to impose tariffs.
(Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
The third option seems like the most likely, and there is already (some) bipartisan movement on that front with the Trade Review Act of 2025. As of today, seven Republicans have pledged to support the bill, which would limit Trump's ability to impose tariffs. It would do this by requiring Trump to give Congress notice of new tariffs within 48 hours (and provide an explanation for them), but most importantly it would end any tariffs after 60 days unless Congress passes a joint resolution affirming them. That would at least bring some economic stability back, even if it does not go far enough.
Of course, there has already been the threat of a presidential veto from the Trump White House, which means the bill would have to get both the Senate and the House to pass the legislation by a 2/3 vote for it to become law. This would certainly put Republicans in quite a bind and force anyone who did not vote for the bill the first time to potentially do it a second time. And if a Republican chose to do that, they will be showing their firm support for Trump and his nonsensical tariffs that will only hurt Americans.
The results of the Trump tariffs moving forward are extreme economic pain for Americans and a global recession. Republicans could pass legislation tomorrow with enthusiastic Democratic support cancelling all of the Trump tariffs, but they are not doing that because they are cowards. We can only hope they wake up in time to save America's economy from a voluntary economic disaster they will be complicit in if they do not act. And that is terrifying.