House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said Monday that he and other House Republicans will ask President Trump to exempt some countries from promised steel and aluminum tariffs, but stopped short of suggesting that Congress could pursue a legislative response.
“We think tailoring the tariffs strengthens the president’s hand in a major way, and make sure that American manufacturing workers aren’t caught up in the unintended consequences of a broader tariff action,” Brady, R-Texas, told reporters Monday afternoon at the Capitol.
Trump has pledged to use his power to set tariffs for national security purposes to implement an across-the-board 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports.
His insistence is driving an unusual public split with his GOP allies on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office issued a statement earlier Monday urging the president not to follow through with the tariffs, and one aide said some legislative response could be possible.
Brady, whose committee has oversight over trade, said that he and colleagues were circulating a letter asking Trump to narrow the tariffs to countries that unfairly trade steel and aluminum.
Asked several times, though, if Congress might change the law to stop the tariffs from going into effect, Brady demurred.
“My view is we stay focused on helping the president tailor these tariffs to the maximum effect,” he said.
