Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in an interview that the Senate Finance Committee, which he will chair in 2019, will look into limiting Donald Trump’s ability to impose new tariffs under the national security designation.
“Maybe the definition of national security or maybe the conditions under which national security could be used as an excuse is a little wide,” Grassley said in an interview with Axios.
According to the report, the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum are unpopular with congressional Republicans as well as Democrats, and while congress might not be able to revoke the tariffs imposed earlier this year, a new or narrowed definition of national security as it pertains to trade could limit Trump’s ability to impose new Section 232 tariffs, as he has suggested he might on auto imports.
In August, two Republican senators introduced the Trade Security Act, which would reform Section 232 and prevent its misuse, including a stipulation that the Department of Defense must justify the national security grounds of such tariffs, instead of the Department of Commerce. Additionally, the bill would increase the role of congress in the Section 232 process by passing a joint resolution of disapproval if warranted. The bill has not made it to the senate floor for a vote yet, but it could in 2019 if Trump resumes his threats to impose import auto tariffs.