Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul once again came out against President Donald Trump, this time over the commander-in-chief’s copious use of tariffs on foreign imports in order to force countries to sign trade agreements that are more fair to the U.S
In a post on X, the senator argued that the Constitution grants Congress the authority to impose new taxes. Since Trump’s tariffs effectively function as taxes, he claimed, they require approval from both the House and Senate.
The Trump administration and a majority of Republicans, however, consider the use of tariffs as a tool to conduct foreign policy, which is squarely in the purview of the Executive Branch.
“The Constitution clearly states that Congress, not the president, has the power of the purse,” he wrote. “All new taxes (which is what a tariff is) are supposed to originate in the House of Representatives before going to the Senate for approval.”
