Panetta, Sanchez, DelBene, Ways and Means Democrats Demand Trump Admin Retract Tariffs on Allies
Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda Sánchez (CA-38), and Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01) led a letter with their colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee demanding the Administration retract its order for across-the-board tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico before they go into effect.
The Trump Administration’s proposed tariffs are expected to cost the average American household over $1,200 per year and limit economic growth. The Members argue that President Trump has drastically abused the limited grant of trade powers by Congress to the Executive branch conferred by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), did not properly consult with Congress, and may have violated the Constitution in its brazen executive overreach.
“[The] use of tariffs as a bargaining chip to settle non-trade issues is counterproductive to the goal of revitalizing manufacturing and bringing back American jobs,” wrote the Members. “The wellbeing of American workers, families, and businesses should never be gambled for the sake of scoring political points. We strongly urge you to retract your order for these damaging tariffs on our North American partners and recommit to strengthen, rather than upend, our shared efforts to secure supply chains and bring good paying jobs back to our communities from China.”
Additional signers of the letter include; House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-01), Reps. Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Mike Thompson (CA-04), John Larson (CT-01), Dany Davis (IL-07), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Don Beyer (VA-08), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Stacy Plaskett (VI-AL), and Tom Suozzi (NY-03).
Full letter can be found here and below.
Dear President Trump,
As Members of the House Ways and Means Committee, we urge you to retract your order for across-the-board tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico before they go into effect. Your use of tariffs as a bargaining chip to settle non-trade issues is counterproductive to the goal of revitalizing manufacturing and bringing back American jobs. The wellbeing of American workers, families, and businesses should never be gambled for the sake of scoring political points.
Make no mistake — across the board tariffs against Canada and Mexico will raise costs for American families on everything from groceries to household staples. These tariffs will also threaten the stability of critical American industries and jobs – from factory workers, farmers, and small businesses – that rely on interconnected supply chains with Canada and Mexico. Your proposed tariffs are expected to cost the average American household over $1,200 per year and limit economic growth.
It is deeply concerning, and revealing, that your tariff order levies steeper rates on U.S. partners that are actively working with us to address the fentanyl crisis than it does on China. Threatening our closest allies also undermines America’s global leadership and disrupts the progress the United States has made to secure supply chains after the pandemic. Businesses have worked in recent years to move supply chains from places with documented security and labor issues, like China, to partners and allies like Canada and Mexico, where we have robust mechanisms to address unfair trade practices. For example, the Rapid Response Mechanism of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) has been successfully used to resolve trade disputes and fight back against labor abuses. Yet, by threatening indiscriminate tariffs, you have undermined confidence in our ability to keep our promises in trade agreements, alienated our allies, and affected business and investor confidence in the stability of our economy. You have also failed to demonstrate how these tariffs will create good paying, union jobs with benefits for American workers.
We strongly condemn your misuse of tariffs to skirt Congressional oversight. While we have disagreements on certain trade matters with Canada and Mexico, these problems should be addressed through the USMCA review process, which includes consultation between the Executive branch, Congress, and stakeholders. You have also drastically abused the limited grant of trade powers by Congress to the Executive branch conferred by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). It does not appear that your invocation of the statute in the Executive Orders meets either substantive or procedural requirements. Threatening tariffs on Canada, which is not a major source of fentanyl, is an inappropriate response to the scourge of the drug in our communities, or to China’s continued production and export of fentanyl and its precursors. The statute also requires consultation with Congress at every stage of the process, including the “immediate” transmission of a detailed report to Congress with justifications for why such actions are being taken.
The Constitution clearly states that “Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties … and to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations.” The scope of these tariffs and the lack of consultation with Congress is brazen executive overreach.
We strongly urge you to retract your order for these damaging tariffs on our North American partners and recommit to strengthen, rather than upend, our shared efforts to secure supply chains and bring good paying jobs back to our communities from China.
Sincerely,
###