Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the Republican majority to bring an amendment backed by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., for a vote on the Senate floor that would congressional authority to check any trade decisions.
Corker’s amendment would require congressional approval when the president aims to enact tariffs in the name of national security. President Trump did just that recently by slapping steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.
“We would like to see a vote on the Corker amendment,” Schumer told reporters. He pointed to a narrowing of the proposal to just NATO allies, including Western European nations and Canada, that would be “more palatable” to many senators.
“How can [there] be national security concerns with them if they’re members of an alliance like NATO?” Schumer asked.
Corker has been pushing for a vote on the amendment as the Senate brings up the National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass vehicle, to the floor this week. However, Republican leaders have opposed the push, including Trump, who has urged Corker to drop the amendment and worries the move could weaken his hand in negotiating.
Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he does not want a vote on the legislation as a standalone bill, but left the door open to it coming up in the amendment process.
The legislation has 14 co-sponsors, including Corker and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who helped draft the bill and has been a vocal supporter.
