Warren, DeLauro Push for Congressional Trade Transparency, Warn of Trump Admin Corruption
Washington, D.C. – Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) wrote to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer, calling out the Trump administration for withholding information on its supposedly ongoing bilateral “negotiations” from Congress—who retains the Constitutional authority to “regulate commerce with foreign nations.”
“The Trump administration’s chaotic and opaque tariff policies are causing layoffs; uncertainty for workers, businesses, and consumers; and the most extreme stock market collapse and volatility since the early days of COVID-19,” wrote the lawmakers. “These policies, levied indiscriminately on nearly every country in the world, are an abuse of the president’s power and will severely damage the U.S. economy if left unchecked.”
Trump attempts to distract from this economic chaos by asserting that his on-and-off, indiscriminate tariffs were actually a bargaining chip meant to entice other countries to the negotiating table. However, the administration has provided almost no information on these trade talks, creating concern that the behind-closed-doors talks will only result in trade deals that line the pockets of Trump’s billionaire friends, leaving Americans to foot the bill for Trump’s “negotiating tactics.”
“The Trump administration has created additional economic uncertainty with these so-called negotiations: we do not know who the administration is negotiating with, what its strategic goals are, whether it will offer any concessions, and what it is specifically asking for,” wrote the lawmakers.
This concern is particularly acute in light of the fact that the administration has not provided any indication that it will obtain congressional approval of the resulting trade deals, despite Congress’s authority “to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations” and “lay and collect Taxes, Duties.” The lawmakers point out that this lack of transparency is a sharp deviation from historic practice. The lack of congressional oversight only increases the likelihood that Trump and his allies are using these trade talks for their own enrichment, as it allows the administration to actively engage with powerful industries, corporations, or sovereign states to seek quid-pro-quo deals, knowing that they are not being held back by Congress or the public. Already, there are reports that may be happening.
“Congress should end Trump’s disastrous reciprocal tariffs once and for all, but in the meantime, we must ensure that any negotiated trade deals do not result in additional economic chaos and corruption or further undermine Congress’s constitutional authority to regulate trade,” continued the lawmakers. “As the administration officials charged with leading these negotiations, we ask that you provide additional information on these talks.”
The lawmakers are demanding information, including the list of countries the administration is negotiating with, details of each meeting, clarification of the administration’s strategy, and assurances that the administration is bargaining on behalf of the American people, not Trump’s billionaire friends, from the administration officials by May 20, 2025.
###
Next Article Previous Article