A new poll shows that a majority of Americans oppose tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and want Congress to take action to limit current and future tariffs.
The poll comes as bipartisan support grows for a bill to place a legislative “check” on presidential tariff orders. The legislation, co-sponsored by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), would require presidents who want to institute new tariffs to issue a statement justifying such an action, after which Congress would have two months to decide whether or not to overturn the new tariffs.
In a rarity for these times, the bill has the backing of Democrats and a handful of Republicans. Yet it still faces steep odds of becoming law — the bill does not yet have enough support to overcome a filibuster from the bulk of Republicans in the upper chamber, and it’s unlikely to be taken up at all by the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. Even in the unlikely possibility that the bill gets passed by Congress, President Donald Trump has already threatened to veto it, and there isn’t enough support yet to overturn a veto.
A CBS News/YouGov poll, conducted from April 8-11, finds that most Americans would like oversight on Trump when it comes to his tariffs.
The poll asked respondents several questions relating to Trump’s economic policies. Broadly speaking, 58 percent of Americans believe that Trump’s policies are making grocery costs go up, while 62 percent stated they believe his policies are making the stock market go down. A plurality of respondents, 49 percent, said Trump’s economic actions will make them worse off financially, while only 21 percent said his actions will make their situations better.
On Trump’s tariffs specifically, the poll found that 58 percent of Americans oppose them, while only 42 percent are in favor.
The new tariffs will not benefit working and middle class people, according to 58 percent of respondents in the poll. Meanwhile, three-quarters of those asked (74 percent) believe that wealthier Americans will benefit from Trump’s tariffs.
When it comes to what should be done regarding the tariffs, a majority of respondents want congressional action, with 53 percent believing that Congress should stop or limit Trump’s new tariffs. Only 13 percent said that new tariffs should be increased.
Some legal experts have suggested that Trump’s tariffs can be halted in a different way: through the courts. Trump has justified his tariff power by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives presidents the power to impose tariffs on foreign goods imported to the U.S. when there is a national emergency declared. Indeed, Trump included mention of IEEPA in his initial executive order placing tariffs on dozens of countries earlier this month, claiming that the suppression of domestic goods by other countries constituted an emergency.
Several small businesses in the U.S., represented by the libertarian-leaning Liberty Justice Center, filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration, alleging that the president is misusing IEEPA and that his tariffs are illegal. Another lawsuit, filed earlier this month by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) on behalf of a Florida-based business called Simplified, also alleged that presidents don’t have the authority to impose tariffs under the law.
Trump has “usurped Congress’s right to control tariffs, and upset the Constitution’s separation of powers,” read a statement from Andrew Morris, senior litigation counsel at NCLA.
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