(As prepared for delivery)
M/ Speaker, I rise today not only because I’m concerned about what this bill would do to the people but also because of what a stain it will be on this institution.
My Republican colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee don’t even see the surrender of our constitutional authority as enough of a threat to participate in this debate.
This is not the time to bury one’s head in the sand and hope for the best. You cannot look at this president and conclude that he won’t abuse any new tariff authority.
We had to fight all the way to the Supreme Court to constrain his IEEPA tariffs.
We know very clearly what happens when this President is handed unchecked power, and the American people know it too.
He weaponized tariffs. He threatened allies. He started petty trade wars. All while forcing the people to “hang in there” as prices have skyrocketed.
And stunningly, Republicans have looked at that record and decided, yet again, to forfeit the prerogative of Congress and hand Trump even more power.
This bill is a tariff tyrant’s fantasy come true.
This bill hands this Administration the ability to put up to 100 percent tariffs on any good, using whatever rationale he wants, on any country this Administration wishes to target.
And from what we’ve seen recently, it’s clear this president has all the incentive to let Russia off the hook and punish our allies to extort whatever concessions he fancies at a given time.
He conveniently exempted Russia last year from his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
And now look what he is doing to Canada – 50% tariffs on our closest ally because their Prime Minister stood up to the illegal tariffs that the Supreme Court struck down.
Look how he threatened Brazil and Greenland.
This president is hellbent on using his presidency to amass more power to enrich himself on the backs of you and me.
Using data from the Yale Budget Lab, this bill could raise the cost to the average American household by over $8,000 a year.
So, I ask my colleagues: can families in your district afford that?
We can stand with Ukraine. We can punish Putin. This bill does neither of those things.
And we can impose tough sanctions on Russia without writing President Trump another blank check to raise costs on the people.
Congress has a job to do.
Do it. Don’t give it away.
I yield back.
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