Furthermore, Sen. Flake said he joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce a legislation to rein in the President’s use of section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to justify protectionist measures. Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee is leading the effort.
Sen. Flake says Congress must show leadership
Moreover, the senator from Arizona pointed out that the Constitution granted Congress the authority to regulate tariffs and trade. It must “show leadership” on the matter.
According to him, “We are elected to be leaders, not followers here. It is not our charge to just go along just because the President shares our party affiliation.
Separately, Sen. Flake reiterated to CNN’s Briana Kellar that the Constitution gave Congress not the President the primary role to regulate trade and tariffs. He said, “The President is using an exemption that was never intended for that purpose.”
He also noted that it is not the first time, a number of Republican senators contradicted Pres. Trump. Last week, Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said the tariffs on steel and aluminum are a tax hike on Americans.
