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Senate

Tariffs (Executive Session)

2026-08-07 Issue 130 Showing 1–1 of 1

Official Congressional Record ↗

Raphael G. Warnock

Democrat

“I want to limit the President's power to set tariffs. Tariffs make things cost more. People in my state struggle to buy things. The President should not have this power. He will abuse it. I want Congress to have more control over tariffs instead. I don't trust this President. We should help Ukraine. But tariffs are not the way to do it.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, this letter restricts the President's tariff authority under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. This is a small but meaningful victory for all Americans who continue to suffer under this President's reckless tariffs. Let's be clear: Putin is a war criminal, and his war machine must be stopped. But we should not have to choose between putting a check on Putin's aggression and putting a check on this President's tariff regime. That is a false choice, and it is one that I am not willing to accept. And so I hope, in the coming hours, that we go further during the amendment process. I hope my colleagues will join me in stripping out any new Presidential tariff authorities. These are not normal times. This is not a normal President. If you give him an inch, he will take a mile. We don't have to imagine. We are seeing it in real time. And everyday people, as a result of that, are struggling--struggling to buy groceries, struggling to buy gas, struggling to buy their kids back-to- school supplies. They are the ones who are suffering the consequences of his reckless tariff regime. But this commitment that we were able to get from Ambassador Greer is meaningful because if the President ignores the law, if he oversteps his power, we will see him in court. I hope this weeklong process was the first step in Congress reasserting its role and placing guardrails on this President's tariff regime. I urge my colleagues to go back home and talk to ordinary folks outside of the beltway. They will tell you that while they support any efforts to protect our national security--and that is what this is about. This isn't just about Ukraine. It is about our own national security. But we must do everything to protect our national security, while at the same time bolstering the economic security of everyday Americans. So as we go back home, ask any parent you meet how much back-to- school shopping cost them this year. I can tell you as the father of two small children, that it is much more than they wanted to spend. When we come back to Washington, we can fight for those parents and build on this work to check the power of this reckless President. But I am glad that we have gotten as far as we have on this issue. I would like to thank my friend and brother Senator Cassidy for your partnership in this amendment process, and I would like to thank Senators Shaheen and Blumenthal for their efforts to find a solution and way forward to support Ukraine, to protect our national security and our economic security at the same time. I yield the floor.

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