Top US Senate Democrats are working to block President Donald Trump’s plan to implement high duties on goods from Brazil, charging that they are being used for political purposes.
“We’re particularly concerned about these tariffs on Brazil – which are being put into place to get the Brazilian Supreme Court to stop its prosecution of Trump’s long-time friend Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president who is facing criminal charges for inciting a violent coup,” Senators Tim Kaine, Chuck Schumer, Jeanne Shaheen and Ron Wyden said in a statement.
A 50 per cent tariff is set to be imposed on Brazilian imports next week, though the emergency declaration exempts many of the country’s biggest exports.
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Brazil plans to retaliate against US tariffs that partly aim to free former leader Bolsonaro
Brazil plans to retaliate against US tariffs that partly aim to free former leader Bolsonaro
The senators intend to file a privileged resolution, one of the few tools Congress has to rein in the president’s tariff efforts.
The move would allow them to bypass certain procedural hurdles and force a vote on the floor, requiring senators to go on the record with their position.
A separate Democrat-led move earlier this year to end the tariffs on Canadian goods passed with bipartisan support, though its companion resolution in the House was blocked before getting a vote.
Trump could veto such a resolution, which he threatened to do to the one to end tariffs on Canadian imports, though Congress could override the veto with a two-thirds supermajority.
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