Support Congressional Tariff Oversight Bill, H.R. 6337 and S. 3013

On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your senators and representative and ask them to support the legislation to amend the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, to require congressional approval of unilateral trade action taken under Section 232 of that law, . Introduced by Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), the bills would restore congressional authority over trade policy.

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution establishes that Congress “shall have the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.” The framers, in their wisdom made this the very first power they delegated specifically to the legislative branch of the United States. Tariffs are taxes, and they adversely impact American consumers. Such measures should be enacted only after thoughtful debate by elected representatives from across the U.S. They should not be handed down unilaterally from the White House.

Unfortunately, Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, allows the president to implement tariffs in the event of a national security threat. This provision has been abused by administrations to impose a protectionist agenda , without having to justify the supposed pressing national security interest being served by their actions. It is time for Congress to reclaim their enumerated Article I power over trade.

H.R. 6337 and S. 3013 will do just that. They give lawmakers a 60-day window to review all trade action pursued by the White House under Section 232. The legislation provides for a fast-tracked process, which would allow it to get debate time and consideration in both houses within that window. He bill would also apply retroactively to tariffs passed in the last two years, as well as all Section 232 action going forward.

FreedomWorks agrees with Rep. Gallagher and Sen. Corker on the need to respect our Constitution and ensure Congress has full control over its Article I authority. Trade affects too many Americans to be left to the whim of any one person or administration. For these reasons, I urge you to contact your senators and representative and ask them to support H.R. 6337 and S. 3013.

Sincerely,
Adam Brandon, President, FreedomWorks