FreedomWorks Statement In Response to the United States Reciprocal Trade Act

Washington, D.C. – In response to the introduction of the United States Reciprocal Trade Act by Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.), FreedomWorks Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Jason Pye, issued the following statement:

“FreedomWorks strongly opposes to the Reciprocal Trade Act. This bill is a clear violation of the Constitution. The very first sentence of Article I, Section 8 says, ‘The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.’ This was explicitly listed as an enumerated power of the legislative branch, not the executive branch. All members of the 116th Congress took an oath to defend the Constitution. They must uphold that oath and oppose this measure.”

“Tariffs are taxes on American consumers and businesses. If they are to be implemented at all, it should be after long, careful deliberation by Congress. The power to impose these tariffs should not be in the hands of a single executive. Given their negative impact on the economy, Congress should be seeking to make it more difficult to impose tariffs, not less difficult.”