Washington, congressional Republicans are studying to join their democratic colleagues to block in the Legislative the imminent tariffs imposed by the president of the USA, Donald Trump, to Mexico like punishment by the increasing migratory wave in the common border, according to The Washington Post.
The capital’s newspaper said that the congressmen would approve a resolution against the national emergency decreed by Trump on the southern border last February, which the president invoked last week to impose tariffs on Mexico.
Congress passed a resolution in March to block that national emergency – with which the White House also aims to obtain funds for the wall – but Trump vetoed it and its promoters did not achieve the two-thirds majority in the Legislative needed to nullify that veto.
According to the Post, Trump’s recent decision to impose tariffs on Mexico has caused some Republicans to be willing to vote again against the national emergency and majorities, this time, could reach the two thirds needed to overcome a presumed veto.
If that happens, Congress will not only stop tariffs, but also frustrate Trump’s plans to finance the wall.
The congressmen worry on the one hand that tariffs will harm US consumers and businesses, but also that they jeopardize the approval of the renegotiated free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, known as T-MEC (UMSCA, in English).
The capital newspaper said that several Republican congressmen have already told Trump their opposition to tariffs.
“We have many members who are very concerned, I think, about where this is going,” Senator John Thune, “number two” of the Republicans in the Upper House, told the Post.
“I believe that these calls question our ability to approve the T-MEC, much less to be approved by Canada and Mexico,” added Senator John Cornyn.
These tariffs are expected to affect all products imported from Mexico and to enter into force at 5% on June 10.
However, tariffs will gradually rise to 25% in October if Trump believes that Mexico has not stopped the arrival of immigrants to the US border.
The Secretary of Commerce of the USA, Wilbur Ross, received today in Washington the Secretary of Economy of Mexico, Graciela Márquez, to which he said that “Mexico must do more to help the US address immigration to through the common border “in a meeting in which they talked about tariffs and the T-MEC.
On Wednesday, a summit between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, is scheduled to take place in Washington to address the open crisis with the imposition of these tariffs. (EFEUSA)
