Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said Wednesday that he wanted to advance legislation reining in presidential authority on tariffs in 2020, The Hill reported. “That's been a goal of mine and is still a goal,” Grassley said of legislation to reform section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, which President Trump has used to impose major tariffs on close U.S. trade partners. Section 232 gives the president authority to impose tariffs for national security purposes. Trump’s trade critics accused him of abusing the authority by imposing steep steel and aluminum tariffs on U.S. allies such as Canada, Mexico, the European Union and Japan. Trump later scrapped the tariffs on Canada and Mexico after they agreed to an updated North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump has also threatened to use the authority to impose tariffs on automobile imports from the European Union and Japan. Grassley has long discussed imposing Congressional oversight on 232 authority, and said he thought there was enough will to advance legislation this year. “It may be just the committee working its will, but I think that there’s enough desire in my committee to do something about 232,” he said yesterday. Grassley noted that he had yet to discuss the prospect with the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Ron Wyden (Oregon). Last month, Wyden said he was open to working out a response.
