The Club for Growth is key-voting sponsorship of a legislation from Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., to undercut President Trump’s unilateral authority to levy certain tariffs.
The proposal might never receive a floor vote.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a supporter of granting presidents free reign to negotiate trade pacts, has indicated a preference to stay out of Trump’s way on trade, despite his own misgivings about the impact of the president’s tariffs on the booming economy. But the Club for Growth, a free-market advocacy group that is a top influencer in Republican primaries, is trying to pressure the GOP-controlled Senate to consider the Corker-Toomey bill by including whether or not members sign on as sponsors in its annual legislative score card.
“With a trade war ratcheting up today, it is imperative to make it more difficult to raise anti-growth tariffs that will only prolong the war and stall the economy,” Andrew Roth, the club’s vice president of government relations, said in a statement.
Trump has pursued tariffs against adversaries and allies, claiming the mandate for some levies under federal law that allows presidents to act if there are national security considerations. Some Republicans, believing Trump is abusing his authority, have sought to push back. “The Corker-Toomey bill requires congressional approval of all tariffs designated under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962,” Roth said in an email to reporters.
