CTA, NRF, 20 Others Form Coalition Urging More Congressional Tariff Oversight

The Trump administration's “overreliance on unilateral tariff increases to address a wide range of policy problems is upsetting the historic balance between Congressional and Executive powers,” said CTA, the National Retail Federation and 20 other trade associations in a letter Wednesday to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee leadership. The groups formed the Tariff Reform Coalition, “dedicated to ensuring clearer guidelines and greater Congressional oversight with respect to Presidential use of tariff authority,” they said. Their objective is to work with Congress “to pass appropriate tariff reform legislation as soon as possible,” they said. “There are valid reasons for Congress to have delegated significant authority to the President in order to address unfair trade practices and liberalize world trade.” But the constitution clearly gives Congress “the power to regulate foreign trade and to specify the parameters of its delegated authority in the area of tariffs,” they said. Congress is entitled “by statute and custom to expect that meaningful consultations between the two branches will occur prior to raising tariffs, rather than after the fact or not at all,” they said. It’s critical “to weigh the downside effects on American manufacturers, farmers and ranchers, exporters and consumers,” they said. Many of the administration’s Section 301 tariff actions the past two years “have had significant collateral effects on domestic prices and have led to extensive retaliation against our exports,” they said. “We do not believe Congress was sufficiently apprised of these effects. Potential further harm from measures currently under consideration by the Administration and the resulting retaliation by trading partners could have even more sweeping effects throughout the economy.” They urged the committees “to consider a robust congressional review of this policy shift.” The White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn't comment.