1w ago

"We made a mistake": GOP Rep. Bacon suggests limiting Trump's presidential tariff powers

www.salon.com

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Summary

Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Don Bacon, are reconsidering Trump’s tariff authority, citing economic uncertainty and potential backlash over rising consumer prices.

Bacon called for restoring tariff power to Congress, admitting past mistakes in granting temporary presidential authority.

Rep. Ralph Norman acknowledged the potential pain of auto tariffs but remained hopeful of their effectiveness.

The Congressional Budget Office warned of short-term inflation and reduced economic efficiency.

41 comments

Didn't the funding bill a couple of weeks ago give Trump more tariff power? Why didn't this guy speak up sooner?
- "Oh God! The consequences of my actions are impacting me!"
  The honorable Mr Bacon.
  
  France is bacon?
- He only speaks now because it affects his state of Nebraska and his constituents are mad.
  Handing all his power to a guy who is working to end the 250 years of democracy. Fucking traitor.
- I’m just surprised a republican admitted to making a mistake.

Oh no, giving one person nearly unlimited power is a problem, if only we'd have seen that as an issue sooner. Not like fuck face has ever said he will do these things.
- It's not just that it's giving power to one person, it's that it is literally the worst person in the world.

This guy is in a vulnerable district:
With a Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI) rating of EVEN, the district is the least Republican of the congressional districts in Nebraska.[Wikipedia]
Republicans don’t say things like this without permission from the Party. He gets to say this to protect his seat. He’ll likely still vote in lock-step with Republicans unless they get a bigger majority.
- Moving the power to congress also wouldn't guarantee anything at this point. Checks and balances are out the window.
- Thanks. There was an NYT headline yesterday about some pushback from Republicans but it was the two absolute most-expected Republicans.

There are absolutely a lot of very snarky things I could say, that would be completely justified...
... But it is actually a very good sign that Trump and his admin have managed to fuck shit up so hard, and get so much backlash (the townhalls, numerous protests)... that we actually have any Republicans saying, outloud, 'we fucked up'.
Maybe this is baseless optimism, but it could actually be that significant cracks are forming in the MAGA alternate reality cult universe... it is at least possible that the absolute worst outcomes can be avoided if enough Republicans defect, even slightly, and the Dems can ... you know, actually do politics.
Breaking ranks from the MAGA cult and calling out its leader, Trump, would have been utter heresy, unthinkable, just 3 months ago.
This article mentions 2 R congressmen, and we've also got Susan Colins (R) in the Senate making pretty serious 'the President cannot effectively line item veto budget items via executive order' noises, and she's the head of thr Senate Appropriations Committee.
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5217825-susan-collins-trump-emergency-funding/
- I have serious doubts that fear of reprisal or consequence from voters is a serious motivating factor for just about any Republican in Congress. Their voters have made it abundantly clear that they will never consider voting for a candidate from a different party. Until that changes, and of course assuming that elections still matter, then this is all just noise from the handful of Republicans left in relatively competitive districts.

Really?
The most warned-about person in the history of the world?
With their most warned-about policy?
Giving them the power to do it was a mistake?
What’s next, we shouldn’t drink bleach?
- Spits out bleach
  What??!!
- Just inject it
- Youre right, we shouldnt drink bleach! We should be injecting it

oh, they're only just now realising that drumpf is an incompetent cunt?

We made a mistake.
"...But are not ready to face consequences."
- I would argue that they are facing the consequences. When the US starts shitting the bed with the economics of what's going down, their overlords will step in.

Yeah, you guys made a lot of mistakes. How about you take your thumbs out of your asses, say fuck it to partisanship, and vote your fucking conscious instead of just rubber stamping what your cheeto tells you to do.
If you all stand up to the guy all his power is gone. He only has power over your party because you all give it to him. The nation is only dysfunctional because you just carte blanch vote down anything that isn't created and edited by your party even if it's the best thing for your constituents.

If it was just tariffs it would be no big deal. He needs current restrictions enforced and there are many, many, other executive powers that should be pruned back.

Too fucking late, you pecan.
- Pecans are useful. How about mosquito?
  
  Nope. Mosquito's keep dragon flies fed. What about a tumor?

Stupid old farts with old rotting minds. They only ever think of taking action to something they already allowed to happen.
This is why we need more fresher, sharper and younger minds in politics. Old farts in general just aren't cutting it, look where it has gotten us.

I’m afraid congress no longer has any power Mr Bacon.
- Your cooked!

There were many mistakes made along the way: making the office too powerful, eliminating all checks and balances, and making congress so contentious and useless that making the executive too powerful seemed necessary to accomplish anything.
However, ultimately handing the keys over to a fucking brain-dead, business-garbage pile in a suit at a time where so many powers have been concentrated in the executive because he "owns the libs" and makes the spiciest AI slop memes on truth social between bits of all-caps screed was the worst of those mistakes.

our current administration is a fucking amateur hour

In the past we gave our power to set tariffs to Trump temporarily
That was less than a month ago, doofus. Also Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is right there, go talk to him. If you need to fix the mistakes, he's your guy.

I'm sure that will go well, what with his just doing shit anyway and getting away with it.

You didn’t just make a mistake, you are mistake. And a really good argument for post-birth abortion.

Western Nebraska turning against Trump? Everything old truly is new again.

Afaik the presidential powers to enact tariffs is limited. Congress is in charge of the budget and are the only ones allowed to set permanent tariffs. He is only getting away with what he is doing because he keeps making up phony emergency reasons why we need them, i.e. the bogus Canadian fentanyl story. The idiots in Congress have already given up so many of their duties to the executive branch it's doubtful they can recapture them. Until members of Congress decide to call him out on his bullshit he will keep getting away with it despite what any of them say publicly.... And we all know that his boot lickers will never do that.

Perhaps Don Bacon is feeling the heat from his constituents, and is afraid that if he didn't say something his career would be cooked.
He might attract a primary challenge, but that's just like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
I bet he's gonna stuff a lot of pork into his next bill, though.

I get it, you couldn't possibly imagine he'd do something stupid and harmful with the powers you've given him. I mean, all the signs were there but they were hard to see if you didn't look at them. Anyone could have made that mistake.

Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Don Bacon, are reconsidering Trump’s tariff authority, citing economic uncertainty and potential backlash over rising consumer prices.
In other words, he still believes there will be midterm elections next year, and voters might remember that everything went down the drain due to Donny.

I'm NOT in a Cult but Don Bacon is a RINO for even SUGGESTING Trump NOT being Right about Something!

Congress has the power to nullify any and all tariffs with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
Congress can then start rescinding those emergency powers acts that let Trump do this if he declares an emergency. Likely that'll need two-thirds vote as well.
Congress used to have Legislative Veto until it was ruled unconstitutional back in the 80s. Those emergency powers should have been reformed then.

41 comments