In a Sirius XM interview yesterday, McConnell explains how he worries about Kentucky when it comes to this trade war Trump is starting. But when it comes to trying to fight the president on it, he doesn’t want to do anything but talk:
Here’s more:
THE HILL – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled on Wednesday that he will not support legislation reining in President Trump’s tariff authority and that the president will not sign such a bill.
“Yeah, I don’t think we need to be trying to rein in the president through legislation. No. 1, it would be an exercise in futility because he wouldn’t sign it,” McConnell told SiriusXM when asked if he opposed the bill.
McConnell was asked about legislation, spearheaded by GOP Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.), that would require Trump to get congressional approval for any tariffs invoked under the national security sections of the trade law, known as Section 232.
The legislation is backed by roughly a dozen senators so far, with several others indicating they are studying the bill, which was rolled out on Wednesday afternoon.
“I think the best tool for those of us who are concerned about this devolving into a full-scale trade war is to continue to try to convince the president that we need to not let this go on to long or go too far,” McConnell added on Wednesday.
The White House is trying to squash the bill:
The White House is stepping up its efforts to squash any momentum, as supporters look to try to get a vote as soon as this week on attaching the tariff legislation to an annual defense policy bill.
Trump called Corker on Wednesday morning and asked him not to go forward with the legislation during a “lengthy” phone call. The president then reiterated his opposition to the bill, which he worries will hamper his negotiating authority, during a closed-door meeting with a group of GOP senators at the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
Of course Trump won’t support a bill that limits his power on trade. That’s to be expected. Which means Congressmen and Senators need to ramp up enough support for such a bill in their respective houses that they can override a veto when it happens. Which means such a bill needs to be supported by McConnell and Ryan accordingly.
As you know, I’m no fan of Corker. But this bill sounds like something that’s very much needed. Trump is abusing his trade authority and it needs to be reined in by Congress.
I suspect part of the reason McConnell doesn’t want to fight Trump with legislation on this is because midterm elections are just months away. He doesn’t want Republicans to be seen fighting the Republican president and potentially lose votes. But what happens when prices go up because of the trade war? Won’t that negatively effect Republicans in the election?