Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, gained critical support Wednesday for a bipartisan compromise to rein in President Trump’s ability to unilaterally impose tariffs on the grounds of national security.
Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who had introduced competing bills on the subject, said they would work with the chairman on his version after Grassley released it Tuesday evening.
Grassley’s proposal would put an automatic sunset on the tariffs enacted under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, requiring congressional approval to retain them after the period expires. The time period hasn’t been settled on. Trump used Section 232 to enact tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, alleging they were needed to protect domestic industries that supply the military. Lawmakers allege he simply wanted to circumvent Congress.
The chairman’s approach would split the difference between the two other main proposals to limit Section 232 tariffs. Toomey’s legislation would require congressional approval in all cases. Portman’s would add extra steps to the 232 process but still allow the president to issue the tariffs on his own. The contrasting efforts have both drawn bipartisan support, threatening to divide overall support for reforming 232 tariffs.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Toomey said, “I commend Chairman Grassley for his commitment to reasserting Congress’s constitutional responsibilities over trade. I agree with the broad objectives that Chairman Grassley has put forth, many of which I have championed over the past year alongside Senator (Mark) Warner (D-Va.). I will continue to work with the Chairman and his staff on putting together a substantive 232 reform proposal.”
Emily Benavides, spokeswoman for Portman, told the Washington Examiner, “We look forward to working with Chairman Grassley to reach a compromise that reforms the 232 statute and preserves its use for genuine national security threats.”
Grassley said he was optimistic about his compromise and hoped to have it completed soon. “Negotiations are going along well … It is going to come together when we negotiate the differences between Toomey and Portman and get broad bipartisan support,” he told reporters Wednesday.
