“If President Trump is successful in reducing tariffs in other countries, I’m going to say ‘Amen; praise the Lord.’ But if he’s unsuccessful, I’ll say, ‘I told you so.’”
A bill that is being put together by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) would require that tariffs being imposed by the United States have to be approved by Congress in order to go into effect. This comes as President Donald Trump has imposed a number of tariffs on different countries this week, including a widespread 10 percent tariff on all imports to the US.
Grassley and Cantwell have introduced the "Trade Review Act of 2025," which states, "Not later than 48 hours after imposing or increasing a duty with respect to an article imported into the United States, the President shall submit to Congress a notification of the imposition of or increase in the duty that includes (1) an explanation of the reasoning for imposing or increasing the duty; and (2) an assessment of the potential impact of imposing or increasing the duty on United States businesses and consumers."
Under the act, any tariff that is imposed by the executive branch must be approved by Congress before a deadline of 60 days, or else the tariff will cease. "If a joint resolution of disapproval with respect to a duty is enacted into law … the duty shall cease to have force or effect," the bill adds.
Earlier this week, Trump announced a widespread 10 percent tariff on nearly all goods being imported to the United States as well as "reciprocal tariffs" on different countries that have put up trade barriers to make the importing of US goods more expensive. Markets reacted with volatility to the tariff announcement from Trump, with the Dow Jones as well as the S&P 500 taking a nosedive on Thursday.
The bill from Grassley comes after Senators on Wednesday passed a resolution to curb some of the tariffs on Canada. Four GOP senators voted in favor of the resolution along with the Democrats, including Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME).
"For too long, Congress has delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch," Grassley said. "Building on my previous efforts as Finance Committee Chairman, I'm joining Senator Cantwell to introduce the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reassert Congress's constitutional role and ensure Congress has a voice in trade policy."
Trump has indicated previously that if countries lower their tariffs in response to the moves from the US, he is open to striking a deal with them. Grassley said of this outcome, "If President Trump is successful in reducing tariffs in other countries, I'm going to say 'Amen; praise the Lord.' But if he's unsuccessful, I'll say, 'I told you so.'"
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