Outgoing Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker is now pushing a measure to empower Congress to block President Trump’s tariffs, “opening a GOP rift over how and whether to push back on the White House’s trade policy,” according to a Politico report.
Corker’s proposal would set up a fast-track process for Congress to sign off on tariffs linked to national security and is picking up steam as he attempts to attach it to the annual defense authorization bill that’s expected to come to the floor later this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday ruled out a stand-alone vote on the legislation but suggested that it could get consideration during the defense debate.
The tariff effort remains a long shot, with McConnell describing it as “contentious,” but it still represents a critical test of the GOP’s willingness to take on the president.
“There’s a lot of interest in it, for what it’s worth,” Corker told reporters. “But, you know, doing anything around here is like pushing a major boulder uphill, so we’ll see.”
As The Tennessee Star reported on June 3rd, this isn’t the first time Corker has signaled his desire to take Trump on on trade and tariffs, even going so far as to enlist Democrats in his cause.
Outgoing Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) took to Twitter on Saturday in an effort to reach out to Democrats in his ongoing efforts to stymie the Trump administration from achieving its goals when it comes to trade.
… Rather than support Trump in what many see as little more than a deal-making process to improve America’s position in trade agreements around the world, Corker appears to be hyperventilating like a Democrat determined to damage and undermine Trump at every turn.
He was referencing a tweet to a Wall Street Journal story with his childish plea.
Today’s news seems to be a continuation of Corker’s previous theatrics on Twitter.
