Will Republicans stand up to Trump’s tariffs?

The Herald reports:

Congressional Republicans are manoeuvring to stop US president Donald Trump from levying harsh tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, arguing the move runs counter to the core of their economic agenda and could even cause political problems heading into the 2018 midterms.

“We are extremely worried about the consequences of a trade war and are urging the White House to not advance with this plan,” AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement Monday. “The new tax reform law has boosted the economy and we certainly don’t want to jeopardise those gains.” …

The Constitution gives Congress the authority over taxation and tariffs, but Congress has delegated trade negotiation and tariff authority to the president over recent decades. Congressional leaders believe that approach has worked well – until now.

Time to take it back.