Mike Pence Accuses Donald Trump of Ignoring Constitution
Source: Newsweek
Published May 30, 2025 at 6:24 AM EDT
Former Vice President Mike Pence has accused President Donald Trump of supplanting Congress' constitutional authority over trade and commerce, following a federal court ruling that sought to void the majority of his tariffs. "The Constitution gives Congress the power to levy taxes and tariffs," Pence wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"Article 1, Section 8 provides that the Congress 'shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.'" "The president has no authority in the Constitution to unilaterally impose tariffs without an act of Congress," he added. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment outside regular hours.
Why It Matters
The potential economic effects of Trump's tariffs, such as high consumer prices on foreign goods and increased overheads for import-reliant businesses, have drawn scrutiny from Democrats and members of the president's own party.
Trump has announced numerous tariffs since returning to office in January, including a 10 percent "baseline" tariff on almost all U.S. imports, arguing that the duties were necessary to fix trade imbalances and revive American manufacturing. However, critics have questioned the constitutionality of the president's trade policies, saying tariffs are fundamentally a legislative power granted to Congress and that their unilateral imposition represents an example of executive overreach.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-accuses-trump-ignoring-constitution-2078857
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