WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to reaffirm Congress’ key role in setting and approving U.S. trade policy, according to a statement from the senator's office.
Kansas U. S. Senator Jerry Moran joined a dozen other Senators to co-sponsored the bill. Kansas Junior Senator Roger Marshall and the Senators from Missouri are have not signed on to support the bill.
The Trade Review Act of 2025, modeled after the War Powers Resolution of 1973, would reestablish limits on the president’s ability to impose unilateral tariffs without the approval of Congress.
“Trade wars can be as devastating, which is why the Founding Fathers gave Congress the clear Constitutional authority over war and trade. This bill reasserts Congress’s role over trade policy to ensure rules-based trade policies are transparent, consistent, and benefit the American public. Arbitrary tariffs, particularly on our allies, damage U.S. export opportunities and raise prices for American consumers and businesses,” Sen. Cantwell said. “As representatives of the American people, Congress has a duty to stop actions that will cause them harm.”
The bill restores Congress’ authority and responsibility over tariffs as outlined in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution by placing the following limits on the president’s power to impose tariffs:
- To enact a new tariff, the president must notify Congress of the imposition of (or increase in) the tariff within 48 hours.
- The Congressional notification must include an explanation of the president’s reasoning for imposing or raising the tariff, and
- Provide analysis of potential impact on American businesses and consumers.
- Within 60 days, Congress must pass a joint resolution of approval on the new tariff, otherwise all new tariffs on imports expire after that deadline.
- Under the bill, Congress has the ability to end tariffs at any time by passing a resolution of disapproval.
- Anti-dumping and countervailing duties are excluded.
The full bill text is available HERE.
On Monday, Cantwell announced that the National Retail Federation (NRF) sent a letter endorsing the bipartisan Trade Review Act.
The NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association. In the letter, David French, the NRF’s Executive Vice President, Government Relations, writes:
“The Trade Review Act of 2025 will provide Congress with the opportunity to review and vote on whether to keep announced tariff actions in place. Requiring an explanation as well as an assessment of the tariff actions from the administration is critical. We have seen that the recently announced ‘reciprocal’ tariffs will have a significant negative impact on businesses, especially small retailers. One estimate indicates these tariffs could lead to a $2,100 tax increase per household. The increased tariffs are not sustainable for small businesses that have to pay the tax. Many are concerned about their ability to stay in business as a result.”
“We applaud you for introducing such important legislation to reassert Congress’s role in setting trade and tariff policy. We strongly urge the Senate to quickly support and pass the bill.”