Republicans rattled by tariff troubles begin to push back on Trump

Cracks are growing between congressional Republicans and President Trump over his tariff policy, with some lawmakers looking to strip him of his unilateral tariff authority and others seeking briefings from the White House on the strategy amid growing economic tumult.

Seven Republican senators signed on to a bill led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Senate’s president pro tempore, and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) that would require the president to give Congress 48 hours notice of new tariffs, make them subject to congressional approval after 60 days, and allow Congress to rescind tariffs.

The legislative effort, which has emerged as a proxy fight for those against the tariffs, became a quick flashpoint on Monday the number of cosponsors grew and the White House threatened to veto the bill.

The attempt by the White House to nip the push in the bud only hours before lawmakers returned to the Capitol has not stemmed the concern among GOP lawmakers who worried that the economy could continue to tumble after Wall Street saw a third straight day in the red to open the week. 

“It’s very hard to overturn a veto. … It doesn’t mean the battle isn’t worth having,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has not signed onto the bill, but has emerged as a leading voice against Trump’s widespread tariffs. “Win or lose, it’s worth the debate.”

Paul noted that he spoke over the weekend to a room of roughly 1,000 GOP voters in South Carolina, where he showered praise on Trump and his team but made clear that support did not extend to these extensive levies. 

“But we have to, even if you’re supportive, question when millions of investors decided: ‘Wow, this thing is really going to screw up the economy,’ because these aren’t partisans. … They’re doing it to try to preserve their wealth and, for some, it’s their job,” Paul said. “These aren’t dumb people. These are millions of people who all came to the same conclusion. I think we do need to be worried about it.”

The latest effort comes after four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Paul — voted with Democrats last week to pass a measure to undo Trump's tariff on Canada. The resolution expressed the sentiment of the Senate and doesn’t have the force of law, but its passage was unwelcome news for the president on the day he announced new tariffs.

Trump added another layer to the tariff debate on Monday by threatening China with an additional 50 percent tariff if Beijing does not rescind its retaliatory 34 percent tariff that was revealed last week after the president’s “Liberation Day” event. 

The Grassley bill has given Republicans who are dissatisfied with the tariff rollout a vehicle to jump onto — even if it stays parked.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) both indicated on Monday the GOP need to give Trump space on the topic.

 “I don’t think that has a future. The president’s indicated he would veto it. I don’t see how they would get it on the floor in the House, so at this point, we’re kind of just waiting to see what’s going to happen next,” Thune said. “Everybody’s concerned about the market, for sure. A lot of Americans have retirement plans, mutual funds, 401ks, IRAs that are invested in the market, so sure.” 

Some of the worries are also shared in the House. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) plans to introduce companion legislation in the House to rein in the president’s tariff authority. 

“I think if we get 60 votes in the Senate it will put pressure on the House to look at this,” Bacon said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “And if we continue to see the stock market go a certain direction or if we see inflation or unemployment shift in a bad way, I think then this bill becomes a very viable bill.”

Any path to floor votes on the legislation, however, would be politically fraught. Republican leaders are backing the president despite the market turmoil.

"Congress will weigh in on it, but with the President, with the administration in tandem,” Johnson said Monday when asked about Bacon’s bill. “I think we have to give the President the latitude, the runway to do what it is he was elected to do; and that is get this economy going again and get our trade balanced with other countries.”

Bacon recognized that the bill will not be brought up imminently or in the coming weeks — “But this will be in the queue that we can use,” he said.

One option available to Bacon and his allies is to attempt to force a vote by getting 218 House members — amounting to a majority of the House — to sign a discharge petition to be able to force a vote on the matter. That tool, though, could only be tried 30 legislative days after introduction of the legislation, and there are ways for GOP leaders to thwart that procedure.

Discharge petitions are also rarely successful, and even more rarely used by a member of the majority party to override their own leadership.

Other Republicans jittery about the effect of the tariffs are taking a more subtle approach to express their concerns. 

On a House Republican conference call on Sunday, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) asked for a briefing on tariffs from the administration, a source on the call told The Hill.

House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) did bring in Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to talk to House GOP lawmakers last week before the tariffs were announced, adding: “I think Congressman Issa came through about halfway through on that one.”

McClain also added that she is planning another meeting with members and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Johnson said he is not sure who from the administration would brief the House GOP lawmakers in more detail.

“We’re all talking about the strategy and, you know, he’s communicating with us so that we have the appropriate answers for our constituents and we’ll see how it shakes out. I think the next couple days are important,” Johnson said on Monday.

While the messenger is important, some lawmakers on Monday indicated that one of their other worries is the message emanating from the White House after what they viewed as scattershot messaging on the Sunday shows. 

Peter Navarro, a senior White House trade adviser, declared on Sunday morning that there was no room for negotiation for nations, including the likes of Vietnam that discussed bringing their tariff down to zero percent, and that the levies are here to stay for the long haul. 

That was followed hours later by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who offered an olive branch of sorts and insisted that Trump was prepared to negotiate. 

The dueling ideas did not sit well with some Republicans, who are pleading with the White House to sing from the same song sheet. 

“Some of his aides, as far as I’m concerned — he ought to make ambassador to the Mauritius Islands or something. They just like to talk and there’s conflicting information,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a tariff skeptic who declined to name any specific officials by name.

“They’re just all over the map, and I think it would be better if they would talk to their boss and find out what the message is,” he continued. “It actually would be better if some of them would shut up.”

Mychael Schnell contributed.