US President Donald Trump on April 2 announced reciprocal tariffs on US trading partners, including 20 percent on goods from the European Union, a move that some experts fear will set off a trade war and cause the world’s economy to tank.
Tariffs are spent by the president, taxes by congress. It’s restructuring the income of the US to give more power to the president. The trade war should be the show for the public.
However, it doesn’t talk about spending. As far as I understand it, congress decides how taxes are spent. If tariffs are spent by the president then Trump has a budget that congress doesn’t control, unless they change the law.
https://unherd.com/2025/02/why-trumps-tariffs-are-a-masterplan/
Tariffs are spent by the president, taxes by congress. It’s restructuring the income of the US to give more power to the president. The trade war should be the show for the public.
Apparently Congress delegated those powers to the executive branch, which means it could take them back, but it won’t, at least not until after the next election. How Congress delegates its tariff powers to the president
That’s an excellent article, thank you.
However, it doesn’t talk about spending. As far as I understand it, congress decides how taxes are spent. If tariffs are spent by the president then Trump has a budget that congress doesn’t control, unless they change the law.