Trump Threatens to Veto Congress’ Effort to Control Tariffs

Donald Trump made clear on Monday that he is not pulling the reins on his potentially recession-inducing tariff plans — or giving up control of implementing them. As markets went on a roller coaster, the president threatened to veto proposed bipartisan legislation that would seek to limit his tariff authority. 

In a Monday statement, the White House wrote that if Congress passed a bill submitted by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) — which now has support from at least six other Republican senators — Trump “would veto the bill.” 

“The Trump Administration is enacting policies to put America First on trade by opening new market access for U.S. farmers, raising wages for American workers, pursuing reciprocal trade, and reshoring the manufacturing essential to our national security. Tariffs are a critical component of that policy and this legislation runs contrary to those aims,” the White House wrote. “If passed, this bill would dangerously hamper the President’s authority and duty to determine our foreign policy and protect our national security.” 

The legislation, titled the “Trade Review Act of 2025,” would require the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of implementing a tariff, while offering an explanation justifying the necessity of the tariff and an economic impact analysis. Congress would be required to approve the tariff within a 60-day period in order to make it permanent, and could repeal it with a resolution of disapproval. 

The legislation has broad support among Democrats, and the supports of Republican Sens. Grassley, Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-S.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine). 

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is promoting his own version of a tariff control bill, which would not allow a tariff to go into effect until approved via a joint resolution in Congress. 

“The rallying cry of ‘no taxation without representation’ sparked a revolution — and it’s just as relevant today,” Paul wrote in a statement. “Unchecked executive actions enacting tariffs tax our citizens, threaten our economy, raise prices for everyday goods, and erode the system of checks and balances that our founders so carefully crafted.”

If either piece of legislation were to pass through both chambers of Congress, the president seems poised to strike them down. It would require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate to override the president’s veto.