Free Trade

Congress Is Trying To Give Trump More Tariff Powers. He Wants Even More.

A bill to sanction Russia would allow the president to place 100 percent tariffs on goods from countries that buy Russian fossil fuels.

Eric Boehm | 8.18.2026 12:00 PM

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(Photo: Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/Newscom.)

President Donald Trump has made a habit of recklessly using—and often overstepping—the many tariff powers granted to the presidency.

Now, Congress is preparing to give him even more unilateral authority to tax imports.

Those new powers are tucked inside a bipartisan bill that cleared the Senate earlier this month. Ostensibly, the bill is meant to tighten sanctions against Russia and Iran, but it would also allow the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from the five countries that import the most Russian crude oil or natural gas.

In July, the largest importers........

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