Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is urging Democrats to take a more aggressive stance against former President Trump’s tariffs, rather than waiting for the courts to act.
Speaking on ABC News’s This Week on Sunday, Warren responded to questions about the legal challenges surrounding the tariffs and her call for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate whether Trump allies may have financially benefited from the resulting market volatility.
“We don’t have to wait for the courts to step in,” Warren said. “The real question is whether Republicans will stand with us on this.”
Warren has recently called on Congress to act against Trump’s tariff measures, emphasizing that regulating trade is within Congress’s constitutional powers. She urged Democrats to push their Republican colleagues to support reversing the tariffs.
Senate Democrats are preparing to force a vote on a resolution that would terminate the national emergency Trump declared and repeal the 10 percent tariff on all imports and the 145 percent tariff on Chinese-made goods.
“In about 15 days, there will be a vote,” Warren explained. “Republicans must choose — will they continue to serve Donald Trump, or will they stand up for the American people and economy by undoing his damaging actions?”
While some Republicans have expressed openness to reasserting congressional control over trade, they are expected to face strong political pressure if a vote occurs.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to curb presidential trade powers, stated last week that Congress has given away too much authority.
“The Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce,” Grassley said. “I’ve always supported free and fair trade, and I believe Congress over-delegated its authority through laws like the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and the Trade Act of 1974.”
Warren, alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), also called on the SEC to investigate whether officials within the Trump administration or their associates used insider knowledge to profit when Trump temporarily paused the tariffs.