WASHINGTON – Minnesota’s newest member of Congress is calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on President Donald Trump’s contested tariff authority.
Rep. Kelly Morrison, the Deephaven Democrat who sits on the small-business committee, sent a letter to Johnson on Monday calling Trump’s tariffs on Brazil, Canada and a host of other countries “likely illegal” and pushing for Congress to regain control of its constitutional authority.
“You have the opportunity to take a concrete step toward ending this manufactured crisis by allowing these bipartisan resolutions to come to the House floor,” Morrison said.
Morrison’s letter is co-signed by 17 Democratic colleagues, including George Latimer of New York, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, and Brittany Petersen of Colorado.
Morrison said it reflects that legislators have finally agreed to reassert Congress’ power of the purse.
Three separate resolutions last month cleared the U.S. Senate, on tight but bipartisan votes, overturning Trump’s use of tariff power against Brazil, Canada and a slew of other nations under a 1977 “emergency” authority.
Beginning in April, Trump imposed tariffs around the globe, claiming the U.S. trade deficit was a national emergency. Currently, U.S. consumers pay a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods and a 35% rate on goods from Canada.
Trump and his supporters have said the tariffs put the U.S. on an even playing field with other companies, lowering the trade deficit, and encourages investment in the U.S.
