White House threatens to veto bipartisan Senate bill to check Trump’s power to impose tariffs

WASHINGTON: The Trump White House has threatened to veto a bipartisan Senate bill that would check President Trump’s authority to impose new tariffs or increase tariffs by requiring Congress to approve them within 60 days.

In a statement of administrative policy circulated to Senate offices Monday, the Trump administration informed lawmakers that it “strongly opposes” the Trade Review Act of 2025. The administration argued the legislation would “severely constrain the president’s ability to use authorities long recognized by Congress and upheld by the courts to respond to national emergencies and foreign threats.” “If S. 1272 were presented to the President, he would veto the bill,” the White House budget office warned.

The legislation was introduced last week by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the Commerce Committee. It would require the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of the imposition of a new tariff or the increase of a tariff and provide “an explanation of the reasoning for imposing or increasing the duty” and an assessment of the potential impact of imposing or increasing a duty on U.S. businesses and consumers. And it would require that tariffs expire after 60 days unless Congress passes a joint resolution of approval. Congress could cancel new tariffs or increase tariffs by passing a joint resolution of disapproval.

In a related development, the US president has fired one of the top U.S. military officers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, adding greater uncertainty over America’s role in the nearly eight-decade alliance. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, the U.S. representative to NATO’s military committee, was relieved of her duties, according to two NATO officials and a diplomat from a NATO country, who were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. They did not say why.

The ouster of such a prominent U.S. officer at NATO adds more tension to Washington’s increasingly shaky relationship with the alliance. The administration’s antagonistic rhetoric against longtime NATO allies is part of a widening rift in the transatlantic alliance.

Chatfield came to the attention of conservative media in 2023, soon after taking the role. Critics labelled her “woke” for comments she made when starting as president of the Naval War College in 2019. “I want to see members of this team offer each other respect for differences, for diversity, for the dialogue from which ideas and collaboration emerge,” she said.