It has been a promise of Trump's campaign that on his first day in office, he will enact tariffs on China. However, he has recently expanded his tariff threats to Canada and Mexico as well. These tariffs would be used as leverage against Canada and Mexico to make them take action on the border issue, a pillar of Trump's policy agenda. However, these tariffs could be damaging the American economy, and make the lives of everyday Americans more difficult. Despite all this, there is still time for Congress and even the Supreme Court to stop these tariffs.
Trump has already shown he is more than willing and certainly able to place tariffs on foreign nations during his first term. He used Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose tariffs during his first term, as well as Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose six additional tariffs. Many forget, but these tariffs of between 7-25% did disrupt the global supply chain.
All of these tariff threats are concerning, but if you remember what we have learned in Congress, the Constitution actually gives them the power to regulate foreign trade, not the president. However, since the Great Depression, Congress has gradually delegated more and more foreign commerce powers and responsibilities to the president. Trump could use these delegated powers to enact tariffs as he did in the past. Congress still has time to revoke the authority delegated to the president though, and Reps. Suzan DelBene and Don Beyer have already introduced the Prevent Tariff Abuse Act, which could limit the ability of the president to enact tariffs. It may also be in the best interest of Congress members to prevent the tariffs, because as we learned, most people vote based on the economy. If tariffs cause a rise in prices, congressional incumbents could have a difficult time holding onto their seats during the midterms.
If Congress fails to prevent the tariffs, the Supreme Court may be able to step in as well. Chief Justice John Roberts recently wrote to overturn the Chevron Deference, concluding courts should exercise independent judgement and not defer to executive agencies when interpreting the Constitution. I thought that was already their job, but I guess not. The Supreme Court typically stays out of the way when it comes to presidential powers in foreign trade, but if they could prove imports from Mexico and Canada are not a national threat to national security, they could thwart the tariffs. Now only time will tell whether either of these branches of government will step up to potentially rescue the American economy from years of struggle.
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23 comments:
The tariff has so much potential to further disrupt the American economy, which is already not in the best shape. The potential rise in the cost of everyday goods and necessities is especially concerning, particularly for lower-income Americans, as this tariff could have detrimental effects. While I understand that Trump is imposing these tariffs to control the border and boost American-made products, this simply does not seem like the smartest strategy. I hope Congress can limit the damage this tariff may cause and that Trump reconsiders his decision before the results become catastrophic.
Trump has said multiple times in that he will impose more universal and broad tariffs at higher rates than the ones in 2018, which already had largely negative impacts on the economy. These tariffs which will be paid by through the pockets of consumers and middle class people will see disastrous results if implemented. Also it is hard to see a world where there will be major pushback on Trump's tariffs, with the current congresses's term almost up and the next one coming in, which is controlled by the republicans there were be little pushback on Trump, if he does decide to act on his words. Although there are some who believe that Trump will not enact all of what he says he will.
It would be great to see act pass and I do think it can pass. The republicans want a free market and with this act they can let it remain this way by making sure Trump doesn't mess with the economy and tariffs, but they would need to get this act passed fast. Especially before Trump gets sworn in because if not he can slow the bill down and get his ideas in before congress can. It's just a matter of time.
Trump's proposed tariffs could have disastrous effects on the American economy. With prices on basic goods like gas set to rise, and industries like automobile manufacturing facing huge disruptions, these tariffs would likely hurt everyday Americans. While Trump has the power to impose tariffs through delegated authority, it's reassuring to know Congress has the opportunity to stop them through the Prevent Tariff Abuse Act. If this act passes, it could prevent a lot of unnecessary economic strain. Hopefully, this act will pass and prevent what could be a very damaging policy for the U.S. economy.
I agree that the potential impact of tariffs on Mexico and Canada could significantly impact the economy, especially in industries such as manufacturing and automotive that are highly relevant to the lives of everyday Americans. As prices rise, these tariffs could become a sensitive issue for voters. It is an interesting point that it would benefit Congressional incumbents to prevent tariffs: after all, they face long-term implications of decisions made while in office. As Congressional terms are 6 years long, without term limits, Donald Trump's policies are only a brief part of their careers. Since many voters base their Congressional votes on economic performance, by avoiding policies that might lead to inflation/higher costs, incumbents would be able to cultivate a strong public image, benefiting them in the long run, and helping them with reelection.
I've heard a lot that tariffs will actually raise prices for Americans. I admit I don't know as much about tariffs as maybe I should, but I think it points to the effective villainization of a "them" in terms of pointing to foreign countries as the perpetrators of a bad economy and then leveraging tariffs to "fix" them, when that's clearly not the only issue even if it is effective marketing. John Green said once when he was in an audience, "I don't usually like crowds but I like this one because i'm in an "us" that doesn't require a "them." Well, now we're in an "us" that only exists because of a "them," and painting the outsider countries as ruining America is a great image for them. Talking to the tariffs directly, the Congress could stop this, but the legislative battles that will happen here are not the ones that the general population that doesn't follow politics will see much of, and that's the problem with perception in politics. I wonder how partisan it will get here when more realize that tariffs actually hurt the economy, if Republicans are willing to just walk with MAGA off the cliff or whether there's reason in order to prevent the president from doing whatever he wants. If that's even possible.
These tariffs will obviously have drastic effects on our economy and I do wonder how they could also effect other country's opinions and views on our government and economy. However I am also curious on how these tariffs would effect our relationships with the countries we are trading with. With China, I imagine that these tariffs would put a strain on our relationship with the Chinese government, and considering we imported approximately $448 billion dollars in imports from China in 2023, I'm guessing we want to keep a steady relationship with them to ensure we can continue to trade. I could be wrong but I'm also guessing that if Trump enacts tariffs on China they would do the same to us, which would be even more detrimental for our economy and relationship with China. Similarly, Trump wanting to enact tariffs on Canada and Mexico as well but as a means to basically threaten them to take more action towards immigration deeply confuses me. I don't think the best way to try to make political change and negotiations with our bordering countries is to enact tariffs on them, so I really don't know what Trump is thinking.
Before the election, I came across so many videos on social media of individuals claiming they would be voting for Trump because of "the economy," yet I find it so concerning that most of these people weren't bothered to do further research into the effects of Trump's proposed tarriffs on the economy. I've learned that it is common however for single-issue voters to vote based on the state of the economy, for as stated in our textbook, election outcomes (even those in Congress) generally reflect the state of the economy, as voters will chose to keep incumbents in office in times of economic stability, but vote them out in times of struggle. Obviously President Joe Biden had to drop out of the race, but as Kamala Harris served under Biden for his presidency as VP, people are quick to blame the failing economy on those in power (Harris) which steered many voters away from voting for Harris (the incumbent). Your example of the increased prices of cars in the United States is a great reference to one way in which tariffs would actually lead to more inflated prices in the U.S. rather than deflated prices, something Trump promised his supporters he could make happen under his presidency. Even Mark Cuban, famed and sucessful businessman, has called Trump "the Grinch that stole Christmas" due to the fact that his 60% tariff on Chinese imports will raise the price of Christmas gifts significantly, along with numerous other imported goods. To add onto the comment by Joe Biden you incorporated into your article stating that the tariffs could ruin foreign relationships for the U.S., Cuban further elaborated on this point, stating that "the tariffs could...push the Chinese government to tell companies to stop buying from the United States altogether." I really wish more single-issue voters had done their research on the effects of tariffs before the election, for the future of inflation in our country isn't looking promising.
I agree with the idea that raising tariffs negatively impact the economy, and that why I personally don't believe trump will actually implement the tariffs he speaks of. Not only is it in the interests of the American people to not raise prices, but also multinational corporations that rely on foreign manufacturing as well as foreign markets for profit. Now I obviously don't know what Trump is thinking, as I am not Donald Trump, but I think it is pretty universal that people don't want to raise tariffs and Trump can't completely disregard Americans. I think its going to be like this a lot, with Trump saying he will do things such as deport all illegal immigrants, but in practice not actually accomplish these things because the president is not an all powerful dictator and a lot of his policies are just not financially feasible.
I agree, it's extremely concerning how many individuals who voted for Trump voted due to the "economy". Despite the fact that the economy isn't directly controlled by the executive branch. While they can influence it, in no way is it directly controlled by it. Moreover, I honestly fail to see what Trump could offer voters that Harris couldn't. Trump has had little focus on helping individuals or the economy while Harris intended to focus more on the people and building an "opportunistic economy". It's disheartening how many voters lacked the initiative to research both of their policies and lacked media literacy to disern fake news.
I trust the congress will not let these tariffs pass, due to the immense history of tariffs Such as increasing costs for the daily consumer, which Americans DO NOT need, with prices now being higher than ever. If these are passed (though I believe our gov will not let) it is assumed that Iphone prices could increase about 26% along with many other goods. These increased prices of daily goods impact lower and middle class families the most, as those elites such as Trump himself, probably wouldn’t even notice an extra $20 on his grocery bill. Since America provides the right the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care(UDHR). Implications of raising prices could be higher poverty and more people seeking Welfare, which Trump also wants to cut back on but probably wil not be able to enact, Which in turn would increase the national deficit and correspond with higher taxes for all.
I am worried about the passage of these tariffs due to the republican majority in both houses at the moment; although congress tends to have more checks than to let this happen, there is still a possibility. It makes me remember in class when we learned about the poll between democrats and republicans + independents, with the then presidential candidates policies about the economy--- and regardless of party, an overwhelming majority preferred Harris's plans; speaking of plans, and "concepts of a plan"; Trump has recently stated that he will impose an 100% tariff on BRIC block of nations, who do not/plan on removing the U.S. dollar in their currency. This of course, is outlandish. Unfortunately all of these foreign trade tariffs point to harming relationships between countries, as the U.S. economy does NOT exist in a vacuum, and other countries do rely on the "best economy in the world" to stimulate theirs in return. These plans are nonsensical.
The argument that tariffs may be harmful to the American economy for its role in raising costs of goods sold can be a valid point at some degree. And it is also true that the US economy is facing highest default rates in recent years and mounting credit card debt due to inflation from the Pandemic. However, it is important to note that for mega retail companies like Walmart and maybe even Tesla, the tariffs imposed on imports from large manufacturing countries like China will not affect the company's profit margin by much. For instance, Walmart typically buys cargos of the same shirt straight from a Chinese manufacturer for 1/10 the retail price, or $1 for a shirt sold for $10 in a store. Most of the cost actually incurs when that shirt arrives in the US, as it goes through different logistical systems- and Walmart's gross profit margin for its products are around the 25-30% mark, which means the rest of the 60% ($6) margin went away to the costs that came up in the US, which makes sense because US is known for notoriously high labor costs. It could be argued, especially by the Trump administration that by lowering taxes for the rich(like big corporations like Walmart) and also big tech companies who build robots and robotics systems for warehouse in large retailers (i.e Symbotic for Amazon) and who knows maybe Tesla in the future?, these companies will be able to lower their cost in the US to cancel out the increase in cost coming from foreign manufacturers. So at the end of the day, there are many contributing factors within each supply chain to increasing costs, and tariffs can certainly be one of them, but when we look at the net balance at the end, the impact of these tariffs may not be as bad as it seems.
I think Trump is just using the boarder issue as an excuse to implement more tariffs. Trump has always wanted more domestic production and reducing imports. In this global world, this will not work as we can't isolate ourselves from other countries risking the backfiring of the economics that may hurt the lives of Americans. Obviously, Trump hasn't learned from his past mistakes when he implemented tariffs on China during his first term which damaged the long term global supply chain. Now, he is trying to do the same thing by threatening Mexico and Canada, two of the nation's top trade partners, to achieve his policy goals. This move also contradicts one of the President's roles of chief diplomat, extending relations to other countries and making treaties with them. In short, I think we will see similar moves from Trump where he makes excuses for one issue and adding more tariffs, further depleting the economy.
I don't think Congress or the Supreme Court will go against Trump, considering they are both under Republican majorities. The Supreme Court of the US consists of three trump appointees, and both the Senate and House are under a republican majority, so Trump's Republican policies will likely go unchecked. That said, I think that Trump can impose limited tariffs that would help America progress without limiting its international position too much. A lot of the tariffs that Trump is threatening against Canada and Mexico seem irrational and would likely hurt the US economy and US consumers, but some industries would benefit from tariffs. For example, agriculture and American farmers could benefit from tariffs, making domestic produce more competitive against international competition. In my opinion, Republicans need to use their majorities across government to create policies that will help the country progress rather than start trade wars with other world powers.
Trump's tariffs, introduced in 2018 were framed as a way to "punish" foreign competitors and protect domestic industries. However, the reality is that the financial burden falls on American consumers and industries, and there are higher production costs. What's more alarming is how the executive branch has increasingly bypassed Congress in enacting such policies. This trend weakens the system of checks and balances. The Prevent Tariff Act is not only necessary to protect the economy but also a necessary step to reclaiming Congressional authority over trade policy, as the Constitution explicitly grants. Also, framing tariffs as a way to "punish" foreign nations creates an "us" vs "them" that distracts us from domestic challenges since it's easier to blame foreign nations than to address the issues within the U.S. economy. Trump has already announced his intentions to impose an additional 10 percent tariffs on China, along with 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada next year. I hope that even though Congress and the Supreme Court are both under Republican majorities, the Prevent Tariff Act will go into effect to prevent further depletion of the economy.
Tariffs on Canada and Mexico will only hurt everyday Americans by driving up prices on essential goods like gas and cars. To see the president threaten the stability of our economy and our relationships with key trade partners for the sake of political leverage is frustrating for many Americans. Congress needs to reclaim its authority over trade policy it’s unacceptable that these powers have been handed off so easily. The Prevent Tariff Abuse Act seems like a step in the right direction, but will it happen in time? Americans shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of political games with our livelihoods.
I agree with the concerns about Trump’s tariff plans and how it could hurt America's economy. Putting tariffs on Canada and Mexico would probably raise prices on basic goods, have a negative effect on industries, as well as hurt America's relationships with these countries. Congress is supposed to control trade, and I think they need to step in to stop it before it causes major problems. The Prevent Tariff Abuse Act is a good idea to limit how much power the president has in setting tariffs. If Congress doesn’t take action, the Supreme Court might need to step in to keep things fair, especially if the tariffs aren’t really about national security.
I agree with this, and wonder if he will impose all the tariffs he speaks of. I wonder how much of what he is proposing was a campaign tactic to make him appeal more to some of his like minded (but perhaps less loyal) supporters. To respond to part of the blog itself, I wonder how easy it would be for Congress to staunch various actions of Trump's, and if they even will. With a republican majority in the House, I wonder how many of Trump's policies and proposals will get through congress.
I agree that it's a huge concern with the tariffs that Trump wants to impose, as this can only hurt the American people, but also the relationship with neighboring countries. Trump has used tariffs on foreign goods since his first term which did cause a noticeable change to the economy. But the reason why he specifically wants to tariff goods to Canada and Mexico is because of immigration. Trump has made it clear that his main focus will be on illegal immigration, and using this tariff will be one way of stopping this along with the issue of drugs. Thankfully, Congress stepped in with the Prevent Tariff Abuse Act which will stop the president from imposing import tariffs under a national emergency without congressional approval. This is a good idea because it will help stop Trump from doing something that doesn't even benefit America but will help with relationships with these countries.
Trump's tariff plan always confused me, as many of his supporters stated that his plan was going to improve the economy drastically. How is imposing tariffs on international goods, causing American companies to raise prices for Americans to cover the extra costs, going to benefit us? This tariff plan is a great example of American's refusing to research further than the surface level. Expanding the tariffs from China to now Canada and Mexico, will hurt Americans as well. Trump's plan to threaten these countries to abide by his plan for the border will not work out. Trump is making enemies out of our bordering countries which, again, only harms America. If the U.S has imported billions of good from both these countries in just the past year, putting tariffs on these goods will only cause the economy to deteriorate. As Americans we can only hope that the Prevent Tariff Abuse Act will gain more congressional support to save us from receiving the short stick as the consumers.
The plan to put tariffs on everything will have a terrible impact on the economy. It's well known that the consumers end up paying for the tariffs, because manufacturers/producers will just hike their prices. I doubt that the tariffs would encourage producers to move back to America, because it's a big commitment and effort, especially when labor is so much cheaper to outsource. Because it would be so expensive to move back to America, and then even more expensive to pay American wages, I think it's more likely companies would remain in their current countries, which would just cause inflation without bringing jobs back to America. Additionally, the tariffs would harm relations with countries like China, which could add to the already high tension between the countries.
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