Organized labor is coming to President Trump’s defense in one area: preserving his ability to unilaterally impose tariffs.
A bipartisan effort in the Senate to roll back those powers has been fought to a standstill by both the White House and unions. Labor has been working to convince Democrats that even Trump shouldn’t be stripped of the authority.
The United Steelworkers have been at the forefront of the latter effort, having applauded Trump’s move to place tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. USW Legislative Director Roy Houseman told the Washington Examiner that there is a broader issue at stake: Whatever one thinks of Trump, future presidents need to have the same powers.
“It’s essential that we preserve future administrations’ ability to defend U.S. manufacturers from noncompetitive practices that would weaken our national security. Too many communities and livelihoods are at risk for this to become a partisan divide,” Houseman said. USW is also a founding member of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, the main coalition group defending the steel tariffs.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, is leading the effort with Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden to limit Trump’s ability to impose tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. That provision allows tariffs to protect “national security” without consulting Congress. Trump cited it in enacting the steel and aluminum tariffs on the grounds that the military needs domestic sources of steel and aluminum.
Trump’s actions have drawn bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers on both sides saying the tariffs are arbitrary and hurting too many businesses that rely on imported metals. Grassley and Wyden have attempted to combine different bills that would give Congress some input into or a veto of Section 232 tariffs.
On Tuesday, Grassley admitted the process was stuck. “Every time we get close to marking up a Section 232 bill, Sen. Wyden hears from stakeholders who are profiting from tariff protection,” he said on the Senate floor. “Meanwhile, I get calls from colleagues who say: Mr. Chairman, the president won’t like us taking away his tariff law, and we don’t want to make the president upset.”
Wyden said in a statement after Grassley’s remarks that “as of now, that legislation does not exist, due to concerns on both sides of the aisle.”
On the GOP side, opposition is coming from the White House and not Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has remained silent on the issue. Republicans are reluctant to cross Trump. Democrats, on the other hand, have been urged by unions to hold their fire.
“The USW has long advocated for both Democratic and Republican administrations to use all the tools in the toolbox to defend our country’s manufacturing base,” Houseman said. “This includes everything from [President] Obama’s [Section 421 of the Trade Act] tire trade case that stemmed Chinese dumping, to the 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum.”
