WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Angus King (I-Maine) in filing bipartisan legislation to challenge President Trump’s tariffs on billions of dollars of goods from Brazil. The tariffs were illegally imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The Senators’ legislation would terminate the July 30 emergency declaration and eliminate the tariffs on Brazilian imports implemented as a result. President Trump’s order cited IEEPA, and any one Senator can challenge the use of IEEPA. The bill is privileged, so the Senate will be required to vote on it.
“President Trump’s unconstitutional trade war has been a disaster on all fronts. That’s especially true for working families who are already struggling to keep up with rising costs. The President’s bogus ‘emergency declaration’ is yet another example him abusing his power to help out his political allies, this time a convicted enemy of democracy in Brazil—which has a trade surplus with the United States. To falsely claim that judicial proceedings in a foreign country constitutes a U.S. national emergency makes a mockery of the term and will backfire on the American people and our trade relationships,” said Senator Welch. “Our resolution claw backs this abuse of executive power and reasserts Congress’ constitutional authority on trade policy.”
Americans import more than $40 billion worth of goods annually from Brazil, including nearly $2 billion worth of coffee, a product that cannot be grown in most of the United States. Trade between the U.S. and Brazil supports nearly 130,000 jobs in the U.S., and the U.S. has a trade surplus with Brazil. A trade war with Brazil would raise costs for Americans, harm both the American and Brazilian economies, and drive Brazil closer to China.
“President Trump’s tariffs on Brazilian goods, which he imposed to try and stop Brazil’s prosecution of one of his friends, is outrageous,” said Senator Kaine, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. “We must stop President Trump from starting these incompetent and chaotic trade wars that are making everyday goods more expensive for Americans who are just trying to get by. When this legislation comes to the Senate floor, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up for the principle that our economic policy should be designed with Americans’ best interests—not petty personal vendettas—at heart.”
“I am alarmed by the Brazilian government’s persecution of a former president and authoritarian repression of freedom of speech, but that has no bearing on the constitutional limits of our own executive,” said Senator Paul. “The President of the United States does not have the authority under IEEPA to unilaterally impose tariffs. Trade policy belongs to Congress, not the White House.”
“As American families are facing high prices and increasing economic stability, President Trump is wielding his trade war not to cut costs for families but to advance his petty political agendas,” said Leader Schumer. “Trump instituted the fake “emergency declaration” following the prosecution of his ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, in a blatant overreach of his presidential power. Americans don’t deserve to have Trump play politics with their livelihood and pocketbooks. It’s beyond time for Congressional Republicans to end this madness and join Democrats in standing up to Trump’s tariff tax.”
“President Trump’s tariffs are a tax on everyday American’s wallets,” said Senator Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The tariffs on Brazil are not just hurting families and businesses, they are also an example of this president weaponizing America’s economy to interfere with another nation’s judiciary. This resolution makes it clear that these tariffs are an unlawful overreach of presidential authority and a wholesale betrayal of the concerns Americans have about rising prices.”
“Trump’s massive tariffs on coffee, beef and other goods we buy from Brazil are a blatantly illegal abuse of the law. I’m proud to partner on this resolution to put Republican senators on the record about whether they will oppose this corrupt tax hike on their constituents or once again let Trump pull their strings to settle his personal scores,” said Senator Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee.
Senator Welch has blasted Trump’s tariffs and trade war and shared stories from constituents about how President Trump’s economic policies have impacted their businesses, farms, and communities. Senator Welch is a cosponsor of a bipartisan resolution to repeal the tariffs on Canada, a bipartisan bill to restore congressional tariff authority, a bill to restrict the Executive Branch’s authority to impose tariffs through the IEEPA, and a bill to exempt small businesses from the April 2nd global tariff Executive Order. Senator Welch also led a bipartisan resolution to end President Trump’s ruinous global tariffs.
Read and download the full text of the legislation.
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