Legislation pushed by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley and Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell would require presidents to justify new tariffs and secure congressional approval within 60 days, otherwise they would expire.
WATCH: Senate passes resolution to undo Trump’s Canada tariffs in rare Republican rebuke
Grassley said he was working on this long before Trump introduced sweeping global tariffs. Whether it gains traction in the Republican-controlled Congress remains to be seen.
Congress already technically has authority over tariffs, but over the last century it has given much of that power to the president. This has effectively removed most of its check on executive power. Lawmakers have some standing to counter tariffs, such as nullifying a presidential emergency declaration, but such resolutions need to pass both chambers and then either be signed by the president, or have the votes to override a veto.
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