Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2025
Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2025 - Summary **What It Would Do:** This bill would limit the President's power to impose tariffs or restrict imports based on national security concerns. Currently, presidents can unilaterally decide when imports threaten national security and act on that decision. This bill would require the President to get congressional approval (through a joint vote) before making such changes. It would also narrow what "national security" means—restricting it only to military equipment, energy resources, and critical infrastructure needed for defense—rather than allowing broader economic protections. **Who It Affects:** This primarily affects the President's executive powers and could impact U.S.
importers, manufacturers, and consumers by making trade restrictions harder to implement quickly. It also affects Congress, giving lawmakers more say in trade decisions that currently rest with the executive branch. **Key Provisions:** - Presidential import adjustments for national security require congressional approval via joint resolution - "National security" is narrowly defined to exclude general economic concerns - The bill applies specifically to goods essential to military, energy, and critical infrastructure protection **Current Status:** The bill is in committee (HR 1903, 119th Congress), sponsored by Rep. Donald Beyer (D-VA), and has not yet been brought to a full vote.
CRS Official Summary
Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2025This bill requires congressional approval for a presidential import adjustment due to a national security threat from an import and limits the adjustments to certain goods that are essential to national security.Specifically, the bill limits the President's authority for such import adjustments to goods related to the development, maintenance, or protection of military equipment, energy resources, or critical infrastructure essential to national security. The bill specifies that the term national security (1) means the protection of the United States from foreign aggression, and (2) does not otherwise include the protection of the general welfare of the United States.The bill requires the President to submit a proposal to Congress to adjust imports. Congress must then approve the proposal with a joint resolution before an import adjustment takes effect. Under current law, the President determines whether any adjustment of an import is necessary and must submit to Congress the reasons for any action taken or not taken. Currently, there is a congressional disapproval mechanism to override presidential actions related to petroleum imports.The bill alsorequires the Department of Defense (currently, the Department of Commerce) to investigate the effect of these imports on national security and submit a report before the President determines whether an adjustment to an import is necessary,establishes requirements for a process to grant requests to exclude certain goods from import adjustments, and applies retroactively to any proposed action taken up to six years before the enactment of this bill.
Latest Action
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.