r/politics • u/sweatycat New York • 1d ago

California to Negotiate Trade With Other Countries to Bypass Trump Tariffs

https://www.newsweek.com/california-newsom-trade-trump-tariffs-2055414
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u/wankbollox 1d ago

If Texas can ignore the federal government and make its own immigration policy, then I guess California can make its own trade policy. Seems fair. 

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u/TinFoilBeanieTech 1d ago

States setting their own trade agreements is totally unconstitutional, but we haven't been following that for a while now anyway. I'm hoping the whole west coast can form it's own trade coalition.

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u/jesuisapprenant 1d ago

Tariff powers don’t belong to the executive branch, the executive branch cannot defund programs unilaterally without Congressional approval, felons cannot run for office, the list goes on. 

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u/IJustLoggedInToSay- Illinois 1d ago edited 1d ago

Tariff powers don't belong to the executive branch. However, Congress :

  1. Granted the executive branch the ability to take any "economic measures" in the event of a national emergency back in the 70s, and
  2. Granted the executive branch the ability to declare national emergencies with no constraining requirements, and
  3. Have declined to terminate Trump's flurry of bullshit national emergencies or impeach the president that is clearly abusing 1 & 2.

So, technically he does have the power to do these things, because Congress has explicitly and implicitily abdicated it to him.

It won't be enough to simply vote in Democrats and try to reverse the damage. These old laws that rely on people acting in good faith and assume that the executive branch isn't completely insane need to be completely rewritten.

EDIT! Number 3 is not entirely accurate, the senate did actually vote to terminate Trump's bullshit national emergrency tariff power.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-tariffs-senate_n_67eda172e4b047b3256b6b33

The Senate voted Wednesday to terminate President Donald Trump’s emergency powers to impose tariffs on Canada shortly after he announced even more aggressive tariffs in a celebratory “Liberation Day” event at the White House. The 51-48 vote marked a rare bipartisan rebuke of the Trump administration’s erratic trade policies amid heightened business uncertainty, turbulent markets, and growing fears of an economic recession.

However, it's not going to work because House Republicans are shameless sycophants and Chuck Schumer decided he's so wise and experienced that didn't need to actually read the CR he was voting for to keep the government from shutting down.

The bill has little chance of reaching the president’s desk, however. The GOP-led House sneaked a provision into last month’s government funding bill disallowing the lower chamber from considering such challenges to Trump’s trade authorities until next year