DEMS/GOP/NATIONAL SECURITY/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Republican and Democratic U.S. senators plan to introduce as soon as Tuesday [6-5-18] legislation that would force President Donald Trump to obtain Congress’ approval before imposing tariffs on national security grounds, a senior senator said on Tuesday. Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said legislation would be introduced on Tuesday or Wednesday [6-6-18] that would pare back the president’s authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Prompting criticism from many of his fellow Republicans as well as business groups, Trump decided last month to open a trade investigation into whether auto imports had damaged the U.S. auto industry, which could lead to tariffs of up to 25 percent on ‘national security grounds.’ Trump had cited similar security concerns in March in imposing duties on steel and aluminum. Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to negotiate better trade deals to save U.S. jobs, has pursued aggressive measures against trading partners from China to Canada, Mexico and U.S. allies in Europe. This has worried some Republican lawmakers who strongly back principles of free trade, warning that Trump could trigger a trade war that would destabilize the economy and ultimately hurt American workers.”
-Patricia Zengerle, “U.S. lawmakers seek to block Trump on tariffs,” Reuters, June 5, 2018 9:30 am