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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

Bill 119 s 348, also known as the "Limiting Presidential Authority on Import Duties Act," aims to restrict the power of the President to impose new or additional duties on imported goods from countries that are considered allies or free trade agreement partners of the United States.

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

Bill S 348 is currently in the status of Bill Introduced since January 30, 2025. Bill S 348 was introduced during Congress 119 and was introduced to the Senate on January 30, 2025.  Bill S 348's most recent activity was Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. as of January 30, 2025

Bipartisan Support of Bill S 348

Total Number of Sponsors
1
Democrat Sponsors
1
Republican Sponsors
0
Unaffiliated Sponsors
0
Total Number of Cosponsors
1
Democrat Cosponsors
1
Republican Cosponsors
0
Unaffiliated Cosponsors
0

Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill S 348

Primary Policy Focus

Alternate Title(s) of Bill S 348

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.
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.

Comments

Wynter Hood profile image

Wynter Hood

629

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.