Posted on 07/12/2018 12:17:43 AM PDT by granada
The Senate on Wednesday took a symbolic shot at President Trump’s trade policy amid anxiety on Capitol Hill over his tariff strategy.
Senators voted 88-11 to instruct lawmakers hashing out a deal on a government funding bill to include language “providing a role for Congress” on tariffs implemented for national security reasons, known as Section 232 of the trade laws.
The vote is nonbinding, meaning lawmakers don’t have to add trade language into the funding bill. But the vote margin, with more senators supporting it than the amount needed to override a veto, underscores the depth of concern on Capitol Hill. “I think it’s significant that, as many of us have discussed with the president and his Cabinet, that there’s some anxiety about ... tariffs,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) told The Hill. “I think it’s just a way to make that point.”
Trump’s trade policies have sparked backlash from lawmakers.
The president used Section 232 to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, including slapping the financial penalties on key trading allies like the European Union, Canada and Mexico.
But Republicans have been wary of using legislation to push back against Trump months before the midterm elections.
Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) tried to attach legislation requiring congressional approval for tariffs applied for national security reasons to both a defense policy bill and the farm bill, but was blocked both times.
Corker said after the vote that he would keep pressing for the Senate to pass stand-alone legislation on Trump's tariff authority.
"I believe support for our legislation will only grow. We will continue to push for a binding vote and are hopeful one will be scheduled in the near future," Corker said in a statement.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) — who was opposing Trump's appeals court judges over the tariff fight — added that Congress has "to rein in abuse of presidential authority and restore Congress’ constitutional authority in this regard.”
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has said he will bring up tariff legislation in the committee. Some GOP senators on the panel have voiced support for narrowing Section 232 of the trade law.
Trump allies have warned lawmakers from passing legislation, arguing it would undercut the president’s negotiating ability.
Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) knocked senators shortly before the vote, saying they were tying Trump’s hands.
“I just don’t understand why this body continues to try to tie the hands of this president at every turn," he said. "This president is committed to creating a more level playing field for our workers and our companies here at home to compete.”
Perdue was one of 11 Republican senators who voted no. GOP Sens. John Barrasso (Wyo.), Shelley Moore Capito
SHELLEY WELLONS MOORE CAPITO America must act to ensure qualified water workforce Overnight Health Care: Big win at Supreme Court for anti-abortion centers | HHS chief grilled on migrant children | Boom time for ObamaCare insurers? Senate passes first 2019 funding bill MORE (W.Va.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Dean Heller (Nev.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), James Inhofe (Okla.), Jim Risch (Idaho) and Tim Scott (S.C.) also voted no.
The opposite of Trade War is Trade Surrender.
Trump is on one side.
The globalists of Congress are on the other.
Didn’t the Emperor Caligula put his horse in the Senate? I’m beginning to understand that move.
They don’t want their gravy train to stop running.
Absolutely right.
We are now running an unacceptably high $375,000,000,000 billion trade deficit with China. Just from last year.
Largest in the history of the entire world. It has been growing, virtually every year for the entire last generation. RAPIDLY.
It is now at an all-time high. And headed EVEN HIGHER this year.
Yet the GOP is complaining?
About what?
Retards.
Does cause one to believe the majority of senators are taking bribes / kickbacks. More investigation of the 88 is necessary
Here’s the thing. It’s a three-line story that CNN will talk about for three days, getting each of the 88 to speak in front of a camera.
Public appeal? It’ll be read over once by the general public, and it’ll be dropped. You can test your associates in seven days, and half of them might remember part of the three-lines, but within seven days...it’ll disappear entirely from the news media. That’s the marginal value of what they did.
You can go and ask each of the 88...do you get lobbyist money that comes from beyond the shores of the US? Yes, or no. I’ll bet each of the 88 do.
The good news? Soon Flake and Corker will be gone.
Total agreement
The turtle is pished that his family business , pursued by his Chinese wife’s family, is going South.
You gotta laugh at the shock and awe that the turtle is now under because he has been complicit in lining his pockets with the “China Trade” sell out of America.
Time to end the Egg Foo Yung and examine the Who Flung Dung!
PDJT is turning into one marvelous ba4tard as he unleashes highly targeted policy on both China and those who have sold America down the dragon well with intellectual property theft.
Congress played its "role"...56 years ago...by giving the President the power to impose tariffs. Sorry Flakey!
"Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, gives the executive branch the ability to conduct investigations to “determine the effects on the national security of imports.” Within 270 days of initiating any investigation, the Commerce Department issues a report to the President with the investigation’s findings, including whether certain imports threaten to impair America’s national security. The President has 90 days to determine whether he concurs with the findings and, if so, to use his statutory authority under Section 232 “to adjust the imports” as necessary, including through tariffs or quotas."
I seriously doubt that more than a handful of our elected really understand trade & tariffs.
By the way "Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) — who was opposing Trump's appeals court judges over the tariff fight — added that Congress has "to rein in abuse of presidential authority and restore Congress’ constitutional authority in this regard.”
Flake had no problem with Obama's presidential abuses of our Constitution or Obama's presidential abuses period....Flake is a poster boy of what is wrong with most of our elected.
Don’t get me started on Flakey. All these people that voted yes are chicken$hit bastards. It’s kind of like if you took your spoiled kids to a big negotiating deal and you’re just able to get the person or company to agree to your argument, the brats want ice cream.
It appears that those senators failed to learn the lesson recently learned by politicos more concerned with the Executive. Imagine a Senate that looks like Obama (or worse), and think again. They trash the U.S.A., then the U.S.A. will vote against those who betray us to commie nations.
Symbolic shot = not a shot.
Stay in your lane, peons.
Each of us should find the vote of our senators there. Those who voted in favor of that threat of obstructing our President for their friends in enemy nations should be replaced with Rastafarians, candidates resembling Peewee Herman or whatever, until Trump-like candidates are found to replace them.
;-)
Anyone on Free Republic defending these traitors needs to be zotted.
Here they are.
“Perdue was one of 11 Republican senators who voted no. GOP Sens. John Barrasso (Wyo.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Dean Heller (Nev.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), James Inhofe (Okla.), Jim Risch (Idaho) and Tim Scott (S.C.) also voted no.”
Those are the good ones. On second thought, replace each of them with new, pro-Trump, pro-American senators. We want to keep Trump in office, and anything is doable.
I watched that weasel Corker being interviewed
on CNN yesterday.Was sitting in a chair with two needles
in my arm at Red Cross.I had forgot how nasty CNN and Corker
are.
Okay...I just emailed my Senator...
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