Iowa — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is criticizing the institution where he’s served for decades for giving too much power to the office of the President.
Grassley, the longest-serving Republican in Congressional history, says Congress has “violated the Constitution” by handing the White House the authority to enact crippling tariffs. President-Elect Donald Trump made global tariffs a primary focus of his campaign, and Grassley, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee, says he would be allowed to do it.
During the campaign, Trump suggested he’ll sign an executive order to impose a 20-percent tax on all imports from all countries, and threatened a tax of up to 60 percent on all goods coming from China. Grassley believes the president has that power and can enact such tariffs without needing Congressional approval.
Grassley says his criticism of Congress goes back 50, even 80 years, as powers that should likely have remained under the US Capitol dome were shifted to the executive branch.
Recent action by the US Supreme Court aimed to curb the power of the executive branch, Grassley says, if that power isn’t specifically spelled out in the law.
The threatened 60-percent tariff on all goods from China is particularly troubling to American companies that rely on parts from China in order to make a wide range of products, which could force a tremendous boost in prices for consumers.
