Donald Trump Faces Growing Republican Pushback Over Tariffs

GOP Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has indicated he could support legislation introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley and Maria Cantwell, a Republican and Democrat respectively, which would reassert congressional control over tariff policy.

Newsweek contacted Senator Tillis and the White House for comment by email, along with the Republican National Committee via online inquiry, for comment on Friday outside of regular office hours.

Why It Matters

The Republicans have a slim majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, meaning some GOP support would be required to trim or outright overturn President Donald Trump's tariff policy.

What To Know

On Wednesday, which he dubbed Liberation Day, President Trump unveiled sweeping new tariffs on goods imported to the United States. This included a "baseline" tariff of 10 percent on all imports, along with what the White House said were "discounted reciprocal tariffs" on certain countries including 34 percent on China, 24 percent on Japan and 20 percent on the European Union.

In response on Thursday, stock markets had their worst day since the COVID pandemic, with the S&P 500 index closing down 4.84 percent while the Nasdaq fell 5.97 percent amid recession fears.

On Thursday, Grassley, from Iowa, and Cantwell, from Washington, introduced a bill that would allow Congress approve any new tariffs within 60 days of their introduction. Congress would also be able to terminate a tariff at any time.

Speaking to Politico, Tillis said he could also co-sponsor the legislation telling the publication he would "be inclined to" give it his backing. However even if the bill passes the Senate it is likely to struggle in the House where Speaker Mike Johnson has previously blocked votes to end the emergency declaration that underpins Trump's tariff powers. The House also passed a rule effectively preventing Democrats from forcing such a vote as part of the budget negotiations.

Wednesday saw four rebel Republican senators join Democrats to vote 51-48 to reject the national emergency declaration President Trump used to justify 25 percent tariffs on many Canadian imports, though this was largely symbolic as Speaker Johnson has already indicated he would move to prevent a vote in the House.

The four dissenting GOP senators were Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski.

What People Are Saying

Former Republican Senate leader McConnell said: "Make no mistake: Goods made in America will be more expensive to manufacture and, ultimately, for consumers to purchase, with higher broad-based tariffs. At a time when Americans are tightening their belts, we would do well to avoid policies that heap on the pain. We ought to strengthen our friendships abroad, and reinforce our allies as pillars of American prosperity and security."

Speaking to CNN about tariffs, Senator Tillis said: "Anyone who says there may be a little bit of pain before we get things right need to talk to my farmers who are one crop away from bankruptcy. They don't have time. So we've got to be crisp on this implementation. Otherwise, we could do damage that's irreparable to farmers."

Former Vice President Mike Pence said: "The Trump Tariff Tax is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history."

On his Truth Social website, Trump wrote: "THE OPERATION IS OVER! THE PATIENT LIVED, AND IS HEALING. THE PROGNOSIS IS THAT THE PATIENT WILL BE FAR STRONGER, BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE RESILIENT THAN EVER BEFORE."

What Happens Next

At this stage, there is little indication that Republican rebels in Congress have the numbers required, when combined with Democratic lawmakers, to take back control of tariff policy from the White House. It remains to be seen whether this will change as the economic impact of the tariffs takes effect.