Republican lawmaker wants to restore tariff power back to Congress, away from President Trump
Republican Rep. Don Bacon, Neb., says he thinks Congress made a "mistake" in giving tariff authority to the president, and wants to see the Article I branch take it back.
"In Article I in the Constitution, really, tariffs should be a Congressional-initiated action. So this should come from Congress," Bacon told CNN host Wolf Blitzer on Thursday.
"However, I think we made a mistake," Bacon added. "In the past, we passed legislation that gave the president some temporary tariff authorities. And I think that we should look back and maybe restore the power back to Congress."
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Bacon said Congress has allowed presidents of both political parties too much unilateral authority over tariffs and that it should be vested in the House and Senate.
"Take away the authorizations that we‘ve allowed the presidents, not just President Trump, but President Biden and President Obama before him," Bacon said, adding that Congress has the power of the purse.
In 1962, Congress passed the Trade Expansion Act, which gave the president sole power to decrease tariffs that were under 5%, and Section 232 of the legislation gave the president the power to control imports that could harm national security.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he will be issuing a 25% tariff on all imported automobiles, claiming that the tariffs will increase the number of auto plants as well as workers in the U.S.
In a post on X, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday that Trump’s "25 per cent tariffs on cars and light trucks will do nothing more than increase costs for hard-working American families," and that the Trump tariffs are "putting American jobs at risk."
Trump also issued a warning directly to Canada and the European Union on Thursday, saying that increased tariffs could be coming if they work together "to do economic harm to the USA."
Trump’s 25% tariff increase on all foreign steel and aluminum started on March 12, 2025. The European Commission responded by saying it would issue counter tariffs on the equivalent of $28 billion worth of U.S. goods starting by mid-April.
The Nebraska Republican told Blitzer that he thinks the tariffs might be a negotiation tactic.
"I think this is maybe part of a negotiation that he‘s doing," Bacon said. "A lot of the cars that we make in America, a lot of those parts come from Canada or they come from Europe. And so any car today has 5 or 6 different countries' DNA on it."
He added that he hopes tariffs are a short-term policy.
"In the end, tariffs do cost more for the consumers," Bacon said. "The consumers will be paying more. And I hope that these don‘t go in effect in the long run. I hope it‘s a negotiating technique. But in the end, Wolf, free trade is the best for consumers."