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A bill to limit the authority of the President to impose new or additional duties with respect to articles imported from countries that are allies or free trade agreement partners of the United States.
1/31/2025, 11:56 AM
Summary of Bill S 348
The bill seeks to prevent the President from unilaterally imposing tariffs or duties on goods imported from these countries without the approval of Congress. This is in response to recent actions taken by the current administration to impose tariffs on goods from countries such as Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, which have strained diplomatic relations and sparked concerns about a potential trade war.
If passed, the bill would require the President to seek approval from Congress before imposing any new tariffs or duties on goods from these ally countries. This would ensure that any decisions regarding trade policy are made in a transparent and collaborative manner, with input from both the executive and legislative branches of government. Overall, the goal of Bill 119 s 348 is to promote stability and cooperation in international trade relations, while also protecting American consumers and businesses from the negative impacts of unpredictable and unilateral tariff actions.
Congressional Summary of S 348
Stopping Tariffs on Allies and Bolstering Legislative Exercise of Trade Policy Act or the STABLE Trade Policy Act
This bill requires the President to receive congressional approval in order to proclaim or increase the rates of duty (i.e., tariffs) on articles imported into the United States from covered countries. Under the bill, a covered country is (1) a member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), (2) a country that has been designated as a major non-NATO ally under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (e.g., Australia, Israel, and Japan), or (3) a country that has in effect a free trade agreement with the United States.
Specifically, the President may proclaim a new or additional covered duty (e.g., a duty proclaimed pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962) on an article imported into the United States from a covered country only if (1) the President submits to Congress a request for authorization to proclaim or increase the duty and the request contains specified information, such as a description of the objective the President seeks to achieve with the action and an assessment of the likely impact on the U.S. economy; and (2) a joint resolution of approval is enacted into law.
Current Status of Bill S 348
Bipartisan Support of Bill S 348
Total Number of Sponsors
1Democrat Sponsors
1Republican Sponsors
0Unaffiliated Sponsors
0Total Number of Cosponsors
1Democrat Cosponsors
1Republican Cosponsors
0Unaffiliated Cosponsors
0Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill S 348
Primary Policy Focus
Alternate Title(s) of Bill S 348
Comments

Wynter Hood
1 year ago
I'm feeling pretty bummed about this bill. I mean, it sounds like a good idea to limit the President's power to impose new duties on our allies, but I'm not really sure how it will all play out. Will it actually help our trade relationships or just cause more confusion? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Overall, I hope this bill ends up benefiting us all in the long run.

