Rand Paul Says Trump’s Tariffs Are Actually ‘Taxes’ That Require Congressional Approval

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has once again criticized former President Donald Trump—this time over his administration’s aggressive use of tariffs on imported goods as a strategy to pressure other countries into making trade deals more favorable to the United States.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Paul asserted that the Constitution gives Congress the authority to implement taxes. Since tariffs essentially act as taxes, he argued, they must be approved by both chambers of Congress.

“The Constitution clearly states that Congress, not the president, has the power of the purse,” Paul posted. “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.”

While the Constitution does grant Congress the power to levy taxes and manage trade with other nations, lawmakers have over time passed laws that give the president some authority over tariffs, especially in emergency situations.

On April 2, Trump issued an executive order declaring that certain foreign trade and economic practices amounted to a national emergency. The White House said the move was aimed at enhancing America’s global economic standing and protecting U.S. workers, and the order imposed retaliatory tariffs.

The declaration came just before the Senate was set to vote on a resolution to reverse Trump’s so-called Liberation Day tariffs, which are currently paused. Republican leadership succeeded in defeating a measure that would have restricted Trump’s actions.

Politico reported that the White House cautioned lawmakers that Trump would veto the resolution if it landed on his desk.

In the Senate, Paul joined Republicans Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), along with every Democrat, in supporting the measure. Still, the resolution failed in a 49-49 deadlock.

According to Axios, the absence of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who was returning from South Korea, prevented Democrats from securing a majority. Additionally, retiring Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a frequent Trump critic, did not vote.

McConnell’s office released a statement reaffirming his opposition to tariffs, saying, “He has been consistent in opposing tariffs and that a trade war is not in the best interest of American households and businesses.” The statement added: “He believes that tariffs are a tax increase on everybody.”

Under current law, Congress can challenge a president’s national emergency declaration through a disapproval vote. On Wednesday, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) utilized this mechanism to force such a vote.

Axios noted that this move by Democrats underscores a growing split among Republicans over rising consumer costs and the expanding use of executive power by Trump.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) dismissed the vote as largely symbolic. “Republicans are trying to give the administration, as we said before, some space to figure out if they can get some good deals and awaiting the results of that,” he told the outlet.

Paul told Axios he believes the topic will continue to be relevant.

“It’s still a debate worth having,” he said. “Because, you know, if a month from now, we have massive tariffs go on and we have a massive sell off in the stock market, and we didn’t have a first good quarter in growth, and if it’s worse again in the second quarter, people would start asking, ‘Is it good policy, or is it a bad policy?’”