House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said Thursday that he will introduce legislation to block President Trump from imposing new tariffs on Mexico.
Trump has said the tariffs could begin on Monday and hinge on the outcome of ongoing negotiations in Washington, D.C., between U.S. and Mexican officials.
“The President’s proposed tariffs would hurt American workers, businesses, and consumers,” Neal said in a statement. “Commandeering U.S. trade policy to influence border security is an abuse of power. If the president does declare a national emergency and attempt to put these tariffs into place, I will introduce a resolution of disapproval to stop his overreach.”
Congress attempted a similar move in March, passing an resolution opposing the president’s declaration a national emergency in order to redirect federal funds to build a border wall with Mexico. Trump vetoed the resolution opposing the move, and the lawmakers were not able to get enough Republican support to override him.
Neal’s proposed effort, though, may get more Republican backing. Several GOP lawmakers have expressed alarm over the prospect of tariffs. On Tuesday, a group of Senate Republicans told White House officials they would back a resolution opposing the tariffs.
The president said last week he would place a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods, increasing 5% every month until the “illegal immigration problem is remedied.” Mexico has warned of possible trade retaliation of its own if the White House follows through. Business groups have urged the White House not to follow through with the threat.
Talks were hastily arranged for this week in order to head off the tariffs. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday that he was optimistic the situation could be resolved. “The U.S. authorities have behaved very well, President Trump, because they haven’t closed themselves off to dialogue and we hope that a deal is reached today,” he told reporters in Mexico City.
Trump said Thursday that he believed the Mexicans wanted a deal but that they had to make more concessions before the U.S. would agree to anything. “They have to step up, and they have to step up to the plate, and perhaps they will. We’re going to see if we can solve the problem,” he told reporters while in France for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion on Normandy Beach.
