Rand Paul says Trump’s tariffs count as 'taxes,' must receive congressional vote

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Wednesday called for President Donald Trump’s recent flurry of tariffs on international trade partners to be put to a congressional vote.

In a post via X, the senator explained the Constitution gives Congress to power to apply new taxes. Trump’s tariffs, he argued, fall under taxes and must therefore receive approval from the House and Senate.

“The Constitution clearly states that Congress, not the president, has the power of the purse,” he wrote. “All new taxes (which is what a tariff is) are supposed to originate in the House of Representatives before going to the Senate for approval.”

His comments come ahead of a Senate vote which could potentially reverse Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs which he has currently placed on pause. That measure, should it pass the Senate, would likely face heavy resistance in the House.

The White House this week also reportedly warned congressional offices the measure would be vetoed by Trump if it arrived on his desk, according to Politico.

“This resolution would undermine the administration’s efforts to address the unusual and extraordinary threats to national security and economic stability, posed by the conditions reflected in the large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficit,” the White House reportedly wrote.

It added such a measure “would undermine U.S. national and economic security.”

Sen. Paul was among three other Republican senators who voted last month to undo some tariffs applied to Canada. He was joined by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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