House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) vowed to take action to block President Trump if he declares a state of emergency to impose tariffs on Mexico.
“The President’s proposed tariffs would hurt American workers, businesses, and consumers. Commandeering U.S. trade policy to influence border security is an abuse of power,” Neal said in a press release.
{mosads}”If the President does declare a national emergency and attempt to put these tariffs into place, I will introduce a resolution of disapproval to stop his overreach,” he added.
Trump has threatened to impose a 5 percent across-the-board tariff on Mexican imports and increase it each month unless Mexico is able to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border.
The move has been met with disapproval and anxiety from Senate Republicans, who have floated plans to block the move, but have not laid out a concrete reaction should Trump move ahead with the tariffs.
On Tuesday, after meeting with administration officials, Senate Republicans said that Trump was mulling whether he needed to declare a national emergency to impose the tariffs, which he first proposed doing under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Both the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate voted down Trump’s earlier emergency declaration on the southern border, which he is attempting to use to reprogram funds to build his proposed border wall. Congress was unable to override Trump’s veto of the disapproval.
Neal’s threat sets Congress up for a similar play, where Democrats in the House are likely to pass the disapproval and force a Senate vote, which is also likely to pass given the deep misgivings among Republicans on Trump’s trade power and broad use of executive authority.
But whether the chambers could override a veto remains a question, as House Republicans have called for supporting the president’s trade moves as a negotiating tactic.
Democrats have called out their Republican colleagues for failing to follow through on rhetoric opposing the president.
“I’m hopeful, but I’m also skeptical. If past is prologue, my Republican friends will ultimately back down,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday.
Meetings between the Trump administration and a Mexican delegation failed to reach a deal Wednesday, but were set to resume Thursday.