Trump just imposed the largest tax hike since 1942 without congressional approval

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/03/trump-tariffs-taxation-congress/

37 comments

  2. They approve or will approve. Because, like they will tell you, even a republican who cheats on his wife, cheats on his taxes and cheats at business is better for the economy than any commie democrat.

    The GOP owns this. 100%.

  4. MAGA: Making Americans *Grovel* Again

    And again, and again, and again…..

    What an absolute cun….trunt.

  5. This is the kind of stuff that made heads of kings roll in France and England. Taxation without approval from representatives of the country.

  6. this is literally the issue that snowballed into the french revolution in 1787

  7. Wait, I thought Republicans didn’t like Presidents who ignored Congress and just acted unilaterally?

  8. Some interesting tidbits there about courts challenges for Trump’s obviously illegal tarriffs.

    >The courts have traditionally given presidents a lot of leeway in anything related to “national security,” but [Alan Wm. Wolff](https://www.piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/alan-wm-wolff), a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told me, “The manner in which the tariffs have been configured and calculated significantly increase the chances of the courts not giving deference to president’s claims of the existing national emergency.”

    >[Inu Manak](https://www.cfr.org/expert/inu-manak), a trade expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, agreed. “This is a shocking abuse of the president’s authority to declare national emergencies,” she told me. “I don’t think that will stand up to a court challenge.” (Public interest lawyers are now seeking [an appropriate plaintiff](https://reason.com/volokh/2025/04/02/looking-for-plaintiffs-to-challenge-trumps-ieepa-tariffs-in-court/), preferably a small company harmed by the tariffs.)

  9. Cool I’ll just lie on my taxes like the billionaires do

  10. Trump is just making sure he’ll get a job promotion within Putin’s ranks this time that’s all. He’ll make sure to write this on his performance review.

  12. Don’t forget that House Republicans voted to cede Congress’ authority to oversee tariffs to Trump so that they wouldn’t have to take tough votes. In this sense, he did get Congressional approval, THEY GAVE HIM COMPLETE POWER!

  14. They can end this at any time. They instead sit there and do nothing. A lack of enforcing checks and balances means it is with (indirect) congressional approval

  15. We overthrew a king for the same shit.
    No taxation without representation ring a bell?

  17. Here’s like a bull in a china shop if the bull had opposable thumbs and a hammer and also was really stupid for a bull

  18. The United States is not a democracy anymore and the constitution is now just a rag. This is what comes from delegating congressional powers to the president – you never get them back.

  19. I get why they’re calling it a tax, but we’re not getting any services from it. It’s just a direct transfer of wealth from regular people to the rich.

    I’d be happy to pay more in taxes if it meant universal health care. I am not willing to pay more for billionaires to make more money while I lose my ssdi.

  20. These three people (Bessent, Trump,…) designed this crash as part of a grand plan:

    https://youtu.be/1ts5wJ6OfzA

    The assholes didn’t bother warning us so at least we could have sold our 401k before the crash and slump

  21. they sure love the money over all else priority dont they

  22. This is going to blow up in the faces of the orange bag of shit and the billionaire class that have orchestrated this mess. The unforeseen ways it will happen will be beyond their wildest greed-based peanut brain imaginations.

  23. The republicans can either do something about it or stand with his tax hike and own it along with him.

  25. Every country capable of retaliating should band together in a united way to impose extremely high tariffs on Tesla and the Red states’ products like Canada did. Canada won trade war by so doing, so EU and other countries should follow suit to force Trump to back down to avoid a global recession and even depression.

  26. Last 4 years of maga morons talking about “ betas” and “ cucks”. It turns out that was a confession, if the beta cuck GOP would do their job we might be spared from the upcoming recession.

  27. To eh clear, he has Congressional approval. They gave him blanket power to do whatever he wants on tariffs

  28. Congress has the power to repeal each and every tariff that Trump has put in place. They can also undo almost every other meaningful change that Trump has made since coming into office.

    They won’t, because they are rich and complicit with Trump’s crimes.

  29. The wealthy are going to buy the dip and Trump will take back the tarrifs. Calling it now.

  30. Republicans have long advocated for raising taxes on the working class, often guised in the “expanding the tax base” narrative, which dates back at least to Romney’s infamous [“47%” comment](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-checking-romneys-47-percent-comment/) which falsely presumed that about half the country are moochers. It ignores that the poor and middle class pay a significantly higher percentage of their income than the very wealthy in federal payroll taxes (which only applies up to a certain income), excise taxes, [state and local sales taxes, property taxes and fees](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-checking-romneys-47-percent-comment/), that a good chunk of those 47% are low income retirees who paid income taxes most of their lives or students (future income tax payers). It also glosses over the fact that the [very wealthy pay lower rates on passive income and most of their gains are unrealized, not taxed during their lifetimes and heirs gaining the step-up basis.](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/23/americas-richest-400-families-pay-a-lower-tax-rate-than-average-taxpayer.html)

    Republicans have been most behind the idea of replacing the federal income tax, or part of it, one of the only progressive taxes, with a highly regressive consumption tax. Tariffs are their way of moving in that direction without even requiring Congressional approval and hidden behind a faux patriotic “promote American manufacturing” narrative to keep their base in check. The revenues will only partially offset the $4.5 trillion in deficits above baseline they’re budget outline adds to extend tax cuts [weighted towards the wealthy](https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/house-budget-would-increase-costs-and-hardship-for-many-while-providing-huge-tax) and lead to disaster if sustained. My guess is they’ll be rolled back to a large degree sometime before the midterms but who knows for sure with this administration.

  32. Actually he did it with approval

    If Congress won’t say no, why does he need to wait for them to say yes?

    So if Congress wants to say no, great, they won’t.

  35. They approved. Stop lying. They gave up the power explicitly so he could do this.
    Enablers are 💯% complicit.

  36. Ah I see Jeff Bezos let the Washington Post publish this story

  37. I hate him. I hate everyone who supports him. America is dead. 

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