Rand Paul Wants Congressional Approval for a President to Take This Specific Action
Senator Paul is taking action to add more checks and balances to the executive branch of government
Rand Paul has proposed a new bill that will block presidents from adding tariffs without approval from Congress. Paul floated out the idea on Constitution Day.
“We must confront the reality that the balance of power is under threat. Our Constitution was designed to prevent any branch from overstepping its bounds.” – Rand Paul
Paul’s legislative proposal is a bit risky as it pits him against former president Trump. Patriots like Paul question whether a president should have unilateral power to implement and expand tariffs.
In short, Paul wants more of a legislative check on executive branch tariff-making power.
The No Taxation Without Representation Act
Paul’s proposal comes in response to former president Trump’s desire to add additional tariffs to imports from China, Mexico and other countries. According to the Kentucky senator, Congress has enough votes to block future presidents from unilaterally adding tariffs to imported goods.
According to Paul, Trump and other future presidents who desire to use their presidential “emergency power” for new tariffs should need a privilege vote passed in Congress. The senator noted that such a vote could not be blocked by the president.
Paul also noted that he believes there is sufficient opposition in Congress to prevent the addition of new tariffs. The Kentucky senator told media members he believes there will be a vote on the matter as logical individuals believe we should not empower one person to make such an important decision.
Paul Supports Free Trade
The addition of new tariffs to goods imported from Mexico and China would ultimately raise prices. Moreover, those tariffs would strain relationships with foreign nations. The tariffs might ultimately destroy trade deals, sabotaging the domestic and global economy.
According to Paul, requiring Congress to approve such tariffs upholds the separation of powers as detailed in our country’s Constitution. A president’s ability to autonomously ad tariffs would sour potential trade deals with Mexico, Canada and other nations. Such tariffs threaten a United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) designed to replace the often-criticized North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Paul Isn’t the Only Republican to Support Checks and Balances
Chuck Grassley has expressed his support for Paul’s controversial tariff checks and balances legislation. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, insists there is a risk for presidents to misuse their tariff authority.
Tariffs are ultimately Trump’s “trump card”, pun intended. If undocumented immigrants are permitted to cross the southern border, Trump will add new tariffs, gradually increasing their percentage until the flow of illegal aliens stops. According to Trump, those tariffs are necessary to prevent Mexican immigrants from breaching the southern border.
However, those who’ve taken the time to read the entirety of Paul’s proposed bill admit that it contains information about the need for tariffs. The text of the bill states there might be sufficient foreign policy reasons to add tariffs and even ban the import of goods from other nations. The bill also references the need for tariffs on specific goods.
As an example, consider the recent attacks in Lebanon. Israel appears to have planted explosives in pagers imported into Lebanon. Those pagers exploded, causing significant harm and death to Hezbollah terrorists and even some innocent people. If a nation suspects a foreign power is adding explosives to products that are imported, it makes sense to ban their import.
In such a scenario, the import of those goods threatens national security. However, such scenarios are uncommon. At the moment, it appears that the goods imported into the United States are not laden with explosives, spyware or other threats.
Tariffs and Taxes Have the Potential to Destroy a Nation
The core of Paul’s argument rests on the belief that it is dangerous to empower a single individual with sweeping authority. Congress should be able to check the president’s tariff powers for a utilitarian balance.
As noted by Chief Justice John Marshall, the power to tax equates to the power to destroy. Paul asks, why should we empower a single individual to potentially destroy the entirety of our nation?
An abundance of tariffs has the potential to backfire through increased costs to importers, elevated consumer prices and an “unfree” market controlled by a pseudo-dictator. Such a scenario is antithetical to the American spirit and ethos.
How about disrupting the sale of farms to foreign entities?
This is an original Constitutional Presidential power for good reason. It was Bill Clinton's NAFTA and repeal of Glass/Steagall that deconstructed the postwar prosperity of our broad middle class. The Presidential tariff is an important tool in the rebuilding of our manufacturing and restoring a fair balance of trade. The so called (globalist) supply chain is effectively a disenfranchisement of the American People that weakens our National sovereignty and promotes dependency on cheep foreign goods.