During this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick downplayed efforts by federal courts, including the Court of International Trade, to stymy the Trump administration’s use of tariffs.
“OK, so we want to start here with the Court of International Trade,” host Shannon Bream said. “This is a decision that went against the president days ago. They said because of the Constitution’s express allocation of the tariff power to Congress, an unlimited delegation of tariff authority to the president would constitute an improper abdication of legislative power to another branch of government. Just to boil that down, they said he can’t do it. But that decision is on hold for now. What is the backup plan?”
Lutnick replied, “Well, think about how silly that is, right? So, Congress gives the president, under this IEEPA authority, the ability to take on other countries who are creating a national emergency. And the $1.2 trillion trade deficit and all the underlying implications of that is a national emergency. It’s gutting our manufacturing base. The president takes that on and Congress lets him do it, specifically does not vote to take it away. Calls a vote and says he can keep it.”
“So, what’s going to happen is we’re going to take that up to higher courts,” he continued. “The president’s going to win like he always does. But rest assured, tariffs are not going away. He has so many other authorities that even in the weird and unusual circumstance where this was taken away, we just bring on another or another or another. Congress has given this authority to the president, and he’s going to use it.”
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