Cantwell Questions Trump Trade Head on Tariffs That Have ‘Wreaked Havoc on the Economy’

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, pressed United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the administration’s slapdash implementation of sweeping tariffs without sufficient input or accountability to Congress.
Prior to President Trump’s implementation of the tariffs, there was no formal bipartisan briefing of Congress detailing how the tariff rates were set, analyzing on how they might impact the American economy, or even communicating what the White House was aiming to accomplish.
“What did the Trump administration do to prepare [Congress], to communicate with us, to tell us about findings as it relates to these emergency orders by the President?”Sen. Cantwell asked during a hearing today in the Senate Finance Committee.
“Our staff, the USTR staff, in the in the past two months that we've been in office, have had over 200 formal engagements with staff on the Hill,”Greer responded.“We also had the President issue very publicly his America First trade policy memorandum, which specifically said that he was going to look into the trade deficit and the possibilities of tariffs.”
Cantwell responded:“So, we've wreaked havoc on the economy by having one of the largest drops of the market. We have people's 401(k)s, in panic. We have retail organizations, like the retail industry, National Retail Federation, American Apparel Industry, Outdoor Association, Consumer Technology, Computer and Communications Industry, Main Street Alliance, Small Business Majority, all anxious, asking us to do something. And you're saying, ‘Well, some people have passed some notes to staff.’”
She continued:“We should be building alliances as a way to counter China, but the alliance building process now will become harder, and people are going to wonder, well, is the United States going to pull another fast one again and just wreak havoc?”
Greer said the United States has seen“many times in past decades when we have had real robust trade disputes with our partners.”
Sen. Cantwell responded:“I'm for trade. I represent trade. I represent a trade economy. I represent the success of what innovation and trade gets you. But you're coming here this morning with this, not only tanking of the market and 401(k)s, now you're coming here telling me that tariff is the tool. And I'm telling you -- innovation is the tool!”
The bill has since picked up12 additional cosponsors– an equal mix of Republicans and Democrats – and beenendorsed by multiple major U.S. business organizations,including theNational Retail Federation, which is the largest retail trade association in the world.
In addition, a bipartisan group has introduced a companion version of Sen. Cantwell’s legislation in the House of Representatives, also cosponsored by equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats.
The bill restores Congress’ authority and responsibility over tariffs as outlined in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution by placing the following limits on the president’s power to impose tariffs:
The full bill text is availableHERE.
For the past three months, President Trump has been sowing economic chaos across the country with unpredictable and ever-changing tariff announcements. His back-and-forth announcements and actions, which have whipsawed American businesses and consumers, as well as close neighbors and allies, include:
Video of Sen. Cantwell’s Q&A with Greer today is availableHERE;audio isHERE; and a transcript isHERE.
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