Congress has the authority to terminate President Trump’s tariffs today

• Congress has the authority to terminate President Donald Trump’s tariffs on all U.S. imports. The legislative branch would need to pass a joint resolution with a veto-proof majority.
• The president declared a national emergency to impose the tariffs, but emergency declarations can be ended with a vote in Congress.
• There aren’t enough Republican votes to get the two-thirds vote necessary to overrule the president.

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Congress has the authority to terminate President Donald Trump’s tariffs on all U.S. imports, but there aren’t enough Republican votes to approve the resolution needed to do it. At least not yet. 

President Trump imposed new tariffs Wednesday, April 2, by declaring a national emergency, which he said is posed by “large and persistent trade deficits.” To declare the emergency, he invoked authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. 

What authority does Congress have?

Congress can terminate a national emergency by passing a joint resolution. However, it can get tricky.

Once a resolution passes Congress, it goes to the president for final approval. Since it overturns one of his key economic policies, President Trump would veto the measure. So, for Congress to terminate the tariffs on its own, lawmakers would need a veto-proof majority of two-thirds in both chambers.

How many lawmakers would be willing to overrule the president? 

Democrats have come out in unison against these tariffs. They say they will hurt American consumers and workers and that they unfairly target some of the United States’ closest allies, like the European Union and Canada. 

“We’re going to see higher costs on everything from gas to groceries,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. 

Republicans share Democrats’ concerns but aren’t yet willing to vote against the president on this issue. 

“Tariffs are a little like whiskey. A little whiskey under the right circumstances will refresh you. Too much whiskey under the wrong circumstances will make you drunk as a goat,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said.

Has Congress taken any action against the tariffs?

Four Senate Republicans voted to end the national emergency Trump declared to impose tariffs on Canada. Their votes, combined with every Democrat’s, were enough to pass the resolution through the Senate. However, it was not a veto-proof majority and is not expected to get a vote in the House of Representatives. 

For now, there isn’t enough opposition on Capitol Hill to end the tariffs. But it’s clear Republicans will keep watching how they impact jobs reports, inflation and the stock market.