GOP/POLITICAL FIGURES/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but ruled out advancing legislation to undo President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, saying that such an action would be unlikely to succeed… The stance taken by Mr. McConnell, who has expressed opposition to the tariffs, effectively puts an end to questions about whether the GOP-led Congress would directly challenge Mr. Trump on the issue of trade duties.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.) has introduced a bill to nullify the tariffs, and other Republicans were drafting their own legislation, but with no path to a floor vote a legislative approach is essentially over before it got started.
Mr. McConnell said that Republicans were trying to persuade the Trump administration to narrow the scope of the tariffs. Last week, Mr. Trump signed an order to impose tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports, with Canada and Mexico exempted for now. Other countries are seeking their own exemptions, and many Republicans back those efforts, saying that the U.S. shouldn’t undercut its own allies… Many GOP lawmakers oppose the idea of broad tariffs on imports, out of concern the duties could spark retaliation against the U.S. or hurt businesses or farms in their states. They can put pressure on the administration in ways beyond legislation to reverse or soften them.”
-Siobhan Hughes, “Senate GOP Leader All But Rules Out Legislation to Undo Trump’s Tariffs,” The Wall Street Journal online, Mar. 13, 2018 05:46pm