Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) is urging his GOP colleagues to crack down on President Trump’s tariff authority following Monday’s joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin that sparked widespread, bipartisan backlash.
“As the president taxes Americans with tariffs, he pushes away our allies and further strengthens Putin,” Corker said in a tweet Tuesday. “It is time for Congress to step up and take back our authorities. We have legislation to do that. Let’s vote.”
He added that the “dam is finally breaking. Thankfully” — an apparent reference to the relationship between Trump and congressional Republicans that the GOP senator once described as a “cult-like situation.”
Corker’s comments come as some GOP senators criticize Trump for his rhetoric at the joint press conference with Putin. Trump shocked lawmakers on both sides of the aisle when he echoed Putin’s denials of election meddling, and when he said the United States was partly to blame for the dismal state of relations with Moscow.
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“He just said it’s not Russia,” Trump said at the press conference, referring to Putin’s denials. “I will say this, I don’t see any reason why it would be.”
Trump’s comments led to public reprimands from top Democrats, who said Congress should use legislation, not just rhetoric, to push back on the president.
But any attempt to rein in Trump on tariffs faces an uphill battle in Congress.
Corker has already failed twice in his efforts to advance a measure that would require congressional approval for tariffs imposed in the name of national security.
The Senate took a symbolic shot at Trump’s tariffs earlier this month, but supporters of the nonbinding procedural vote acknowledged that if it had been binding legislation they would not have had the votes to pass the measure.
Republicans and business groups are growing increasingly worried about the effects steep U.S. tariffs will have on allies and on the global economy.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called for new sanctions against Russia, as well as a briefing by top administration officials, in the wake of the Helsinki summit.
Republicans, meanwhile, are privately mulling how best to respond. GOP Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) is drafting a resolution that would voice support for America’s European allies while also reaffirming support for the U.S. intelligence community’s finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
GOP senators are reportedly also considering a resolution that would give the Senate’s backing to the intelligence community.
Meanwhile, Democrats, as well as some GOP senators like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), are discussing new sanctions legislation. Congress overwhelmingly passed sanctions legislation last year despite opposition from the administration.
But since then, Republicans have been of wary of provoking a showdown with Trump heading into the midterm election.