Congress tries to restrain Trump on tariffs: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, our Capitol Hill team explores how Republicans are joining with Democrats in efforts to check President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Plus, Allan Smith dives into the success Democrats have found in elections so far this year. 

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— Adam Wollner

Lawmakers in both parties ramp up their efforts to rein in Trump on tariffs

By Sahil Kapur and Scott Wong

The fallout from President Donald Trump’s aggressive new tariffs has spurred Congress into action, with a growing number of Republicans joining Democrats to express interest in using their power to restrain him. 

1. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced a bill with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., that would reassert Congress’ authority and slap restrictions on the president’s power to levy tariffs. 

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., praised Grassley for the bill because “he does believe that we’re a coequal branch.” He said he’d vote for it, though it’s unclear if the bill will be brought to the Senate floor.

2. That move came after four Senate Republicans delivered a rare rebuke to Trump on Wednesday evening, joining with every Democrat to pass a measure to revoke his tariffs on Canada. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the author of the resolution, said he’s looking to build on that success with more bills to block Trump’s tariffs. 

He said “many more” than four Republicans were interested in his resolution than ultimately voted for it, predicting that more will come aboard “as the economic reality sets in.”

3. Across the Capitol, senior House Democrats said they were looking to pass a resolution halting Canadian tariffs, similar to what the Senate voted on this week. Since Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is reluctant to show any daylight with Trump, Democrats are exploring an end run around House GOP leaders. 

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said he would file what’s known as a discharge petition, a legislative tool that would allow supporters to bypass GOP leaders and force a vote on legislation if they can secure 218 signatures. At least one moderate Republican, Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, said he would consider supporting it. 

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Stocks plunge: Major U.S. stock indexes on Thursday saw their worst one-day drops since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Rob Wile reports.

The S&P 500 fell 4.8%, while the Nasdaq fell 6% — both their worst since 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 4%, or more than 1,600 points — its worst sell-off since 2022.