The Senate rebuked on Wednesday President Donald Trump's trade policy, prompting the Congress to reassert its authority on tariffs.
Forty-nine Democrat senators and 39 Republics supported a resolution that called on for Congress to act on President Trump's trade barrier policies such as that of steel and aluminum.
"A vote to move in the direction of restoring to Congress our constitutional authority," said Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
Senator Toomey is one of the sponsors of the said resolution. Together with him is Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee who is also Senate Foreign Relations Chairman.
Senator Corker said that the passage of the resolution is "a baby step" in urging Congress to reassert its constitutional authority on trade and commerce concerns.
In the recent months, President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and cited national security as a reason for the imposition of such tariffs.
Senator Toomey said that President Trump's administration has "misused" the section of the Trade Law that cited "inappropriate tariffs on steel and aluminum from our allies and close friends."
"Republican senators know the potential negative effects tariffs will have on their home state economies and this is one way to send a message to the White House before having to get into a legislative slowdown," said Kevin Madden, a longtime consultant of the Republicans.
The sudden imposition of the Senate's symbolic resolution was prompted when President Trump's administration imposed a ten percent tariff for the release of $200-billion worth of Chinese goods, escalating the heated trade war with China. In response, China allegedly vowed to retaliate by having its own tariffs.
In hindsight, many experts believe that this act of retaliatory tariffs from China can increase consumer costs as well as paralyzing manufacturers and farmers. It is also possible that the European Union and other trade entities will do the same.
