A Republican member of the House Financial Services and Foreign Affairs committees said Congress should intervene if the Trump administration doesn't show considerable headway in tariff negotiations with dozens of countries.
"If they can make significant progress over the next 30-plus days, then I think a lot of this will settle down," Rep. Mike Lawler of New York told Bloomberg on Thursday. "If this flares up again, then I think you would likely see Congress step in."
President Donald Trump earlier this month announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which became law in 1977 and allows the president to declare a national emergency "to deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States." The declaration unlocked Trump's power to impose tariffs that would otherwise have to pass through Congress.
Trump then ordered a 90-day pause, excluding China, which is facing elevated 145% tariffs on imports. A baseline 10% tariff on all foreign imports is in place, as well as a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports. Canada and Mexico also have separate tariffs on some goods as a way to pressure them to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration.
The Trump administration is using the pause to negotiate individual trade deals with countries, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. has received 18 trade proposals from other countries and that 100 nations are seeking to reach a deal with the U.S.
"I think they need to get those agreements done a lot quicker than 90 days," Lawler said, adding he and other congressional Republicans have spoken with White House officials about their concerns, although he believes the tariffs are an effective short-term negotiating tool.
Trump reportedly told Time magazine in an interview published Friday that he has made "200 deals" on tariffs and that the arrangements will be "finished" in the next three to four weeks.
The U.S. and South Korea on Friday reportedly agreed to craft a trade package to thwart the new U.S. tariffs before the pause is lifted in July. Earlier this week, Vice President J.D. Vance announced the U.S. and India reached terms of reference for a trade deal, essentially a roadmap for a final deal. Also this week, the U.S. and Japan reportedly moved closer to an interim trade arrangement.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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