I’m writing to urge you to stop delegating more tariff authority to the President and to restore Congress’s constitutional role over trade policy. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution vests this power squarely in your hands—for good reason. The Founders understood that tariffs are taxes, and that giving one person unilateral control over them invites economic chaos and political abuse.
Recent events prove their point. President Trump has repeatedly used tariff threats not to protect national security or address unfair trade, but to settle personal scores—most absurdly, cutting off trade talks with Canada because of a critical television ad. That’s not policy. That’s retaliation.
Delegating tariff power was meant to help presidents act quickly during emergencies or negotiate specific trade deals—not to let them weaponize the economy for ego or revenge. Each expansion of executive authority since the 1930s—from the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act to Sections 232 and 301—was sold as “temporary flexibility.” In practice, it has become a blank check.
Unchecked tariff power harms American farmers, manufacturers, and consumers. It destabilizes markets and undermines the rule of law by concentrating decisions about taxes and trade in one office—an outcome the Supreme Court has repeatedly warned against. Justice Jackson’s opinion in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer made it clear: presidential power is at its weakest when it conflicts with Congress’s express authority.
It’s time to draw that line again. Congress should:
—Reassert its exclusive constitutional authority to set tariffs and taxes.
—Require clear, time-limited findings before any executive tariff action.
—Mandate public reporting on the rationale and impact of all such actions.
The separation of powers isn’t a technicality—it’s the safeguard that prevents any president from turning economic policy into personal punishment. Please defend it.
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