Trump's big tariff plans face opposition from House Dems: 'Unacceptable'

President-elect Trump's tariff plans are being blocked by House Democrats before he takes office.

Reps. Suzan DelBene and Don Beyer, along with 11 other Democrats, introduced a bill to prevent Trump from imposing higher import taxes using presidential emergency powers.

Trump pledged to impose a 60% tariff on Chinese goods and up to 20% on other countries during his campaign.

He recently committed on Truth Social to establish an "External Revenue Service" to gather our "Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that originate from Foreign sources."

This week, Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent informed senators that Trump and his allies believe the plan will strengthen American manufacturing while making it harder for competitors like China to "export their way out of their economic difficulties."

The commander in chief has the authority to enact broad tariffs without Congress' approval through an emergency declaration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Democrats contend that the expense of tariffs would ultimately be borne by American consumers.

"DelBene stated that the American people have consistently expressed their concern over the high cost of living, and that widespread tariffs would increase costs at home, potentially leading to a recession. Additionally, such tariffs may result in significant retaliation, negatively impacting American workers, farmers, and businesses."

Trump's tariff proposals would abuse emergency powers to increase prices for Americans, which is unacceptable, according to Beyer.

However, not all Democrats have rejected the plan.

This week, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, a moderate Democrat known for frequently straying from his party, presented a bill to apply a uniform 10% tariff on all imports.

The 10% level would be periodically reviewed and adjusted based on current U.S. economic conditions, allowing for a possible 5% increase or decrease.

In an interview with the Maine Morning Star, he stated that the universal tariff, along with other policies promoting domestic energy production, unions, and manufacturing, aims to shift our economy from one that relies on inexpensive goods and consumption to one that emphasizes production and innovation.

The Trump transition team was contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital for comment on both bills.