Trump’s ‘worldwide tariff’ sets stage for rebuke from Congress ahead of midterm elections

Published February 23, 2026 5:01pm ET



President Donald Trump’s move to bypass the Supreme Court striking down his “Liberation Day” tariffs with a separate but temporary 15% “worldwide tariff” tees up the president for another policy defeat just months before the November midterm elections.

Trump would need the approval of lawmakers to extend the 15% across-the-board rate beyond 150 days under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 used to invoke them, putting the president at risk of suffering a summer setback at the hands of a GOP-controlled Congress that largely opposes the tariffs.

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