The U.S. Constitution indeed stipulates that all taxing power belongs to Congress, and the president cannot act arbitrarily. However, in order to compensate for the slow decision-making process of Congress, it is also stipulated that Congress must delegate some executive decision-making power to the White House in special circumstances. Trump's major tax campaign has found loopholes in the (National Emergency Act) + (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) provisions.
On April 2, Trump first issued a statement saying that the U.S. border was riddled with problems, the energy crisis was imminent, the trade deficit was urgent, and the people across the nation were suffering, officially declaring a national emergency in the U.S. Once the country enters a state of emergency, presidential powers will be infinitely expanded, and the above two laws have relevant clauses that state, 'In a state of emergency, the president has the authority to take control measures regarding any assets with foreign interests.' No one in the U.S. had previously interpreted 'assets with foreign interests' as tariffs; Trump is the first to stand up and interpret it this way.
So can the U.S. Congress propose a bill to reject Trump's major tax increase policy? The answer is very difficult. First of all, the Republican Party currently dominates Congress, and the first round of proposal votes may not even pass. Even if the first round of voting passes, Trump can directly reject the proposal. According to the process, Congress can hold a second vote, at which point 2/3 of the votes are needed to trigger a secondary proposal, making it even less likely than the first round.
Can the U.S. Supreme Court directly intervene to rule Trump's major tax increase policy invalid? The answer is also very difficult. First, several justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are Trump's close associates, and the Supreme Court currently has too many cases related to Trump backlog to handle.
The reality in the U.S. is such that part of the executive decision-making power has been delegated from Congress to the White House with the intention of improving efficiency in times of national emergency and taking swift measures to respond to crises. However, the flaw here is that the definition of a national emergency has also been handed over to the White House. Theoretically, Trump could declare that the U.S. is in a state of emergency 365 days a year, allowing him to bypass Congress and gain several significant powers without oversight. Moreover, in this game, most players and referees are Trump’s people.
"Once the U.S. enters a state of emergency, the U.S. president can do whatever he wants; no one can stop him," Trump said in a public speech. Quite straightforward, right?
The Trump administration demonstrates extremely reckless and crazy decision-making externally while precisely identifying various American flaws internally to expand power indefinitely. Now, it’s not just the American people who can’t ask too many questions; even those lawmakers dare not ask much. Asking just leads to a state of emergency; MAGA needs no further explanation!
