New Dems Oppose Effort to Greenlight Trump’s Illegal Tariffs

Today, New Democrat Coalition Chair Brad Schneider (IL-10) and New Dem Trade & Tariffs Task Force Chair Don Beyer (VA-08) issued a statement in opposition to the Sanctioning Russia Act, which would grant the President power to enact more sweeping tariffs without Congressional approval.

"The American people do not want and cannot afford more of President Trump's illegal, cost-raising tariffs. Unfortunately, the Sanctioning Russia Act is nothing more than a backdoor attempt to greenlight tariffs of up to 100 percent on our major trading partners while surreptitiously handcuffing Congress' ability to stop Trump from further escalating his global trade war.

"New Dems wholly support leveraging strict sanctions to punish those who fuel, drive, and profit from Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine. There are many commonsense proposals in Congress to support Ukraine's efforts to defend its freedom and sovereignty - this legislation is most definitely not one of them. Instead, it undermines U.S. support for Ukraine when they need us most.

"We urge our colleagues to block this effort to hand over more tariff power to a President who is hellbent on spreading chaos and corruption, raising costs on American families, and destroying our most vital trade relationships."