George Will On Trump: ‘Congress Can Take Back Power From The President’
George Will, a political commentator, recently wrote in his syndicated column for the Washington Post that Congress can “limit presidential discretion” and “crimp the modern presidency’s imperial swagger.”
According to Will, Republican Senator Mike Lee has proposed the Global Trade Accountability Act which would keep President Trump’s executive powers in check. The act, which is part of a larger collaboration among politicians to revive the dwindling powers of Congress, would require both houses of Congress to approve any changes in trade regulations.
If passed, the proposed act would “provide for congressional review of the imposition of duties and other trade measures by the executive branch.”
While the act wouldn’t guarantee that Trump could not “initiate a trade war,” said George Will, it would prevent him from doing so without significant support from members of Congress.
President Trump has vowed to impose massive border taxes to prevent American companies from outsourcing labor to other countries. In January, Trump went on Twitter and “threatened auto manufacturers with border taxes if they operate in Mexico,” according to the Inquisitr.
General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border. Make in U.S.A.or pay big border tax!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2017
Toyota Motor said will build a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to build Corolla cars for U.S. NO WAY! Build plant in U.S. or pay big border tax.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2017
Many companies caved under the pressure from Trump. Ford scrapped plans to build a plant in Mexico, opting to expand operations in the United States. Fiat Chrysler also announced plans to increase production in United States factories.
Trump promised to revitalize the American economy and to create more jobs for Americans.
According to George Will’s piece in the Washington Post, Congress has “empowered [presidents] to raise taxes” for a century. The Global Trade Accountability Act “would require congressional complicity in this core government function.”
George Will has long been a critic of Donald Trump. In January, he wrote in his column that Trump “delivered the most dreadful inaugural address in history.”
“Oblivious to the moment and the setting, the always remarkable Trump proved that something dystopian can be strangely exhilarating: In what should have been a civic liturgy serving national unity and confidence, he vindicated his severest critics by serving up reheated campaign rhetoric about ‘rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape’ and an education system producing students ‘deprived of all knowledge.’ Yes, all.”
In another piece, George Will referred to Trump as “the waterbeetle of American politics,” comparing his “feral cunning in manipulating the masses and the media” to the bug’s instincts.
George Will also warned that Trump’s attempts to protect the economy “can end up killing it.”
Donald Trump’s isolationist stance has not just been opposed by George Will. Trump has been criticized by many people, including Republican Senator John McCain.
At the Munich Security Conference, the former presidential candidate spoke about the importance of international alliances, reported the Inquisitr.
“We cannot give up on ourselves and on each other. That is the definition of decadence. And that is how world orders really do decline and fall,” said McCain.
President Trump has vowed to “put America first.”
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg also expressed his concern, according to The New York Times. Zuckerberg stated that “progress now requires humanity coming together not just as cities or nations, but also as a global community.”
“We have to build a global community that works for everyone,” said Zuckerberg. “I really don’t have much doubt that this is the right direction to go in the long term.”
Trump’s isolationism stance is already proving to be far from perfect. The president has admitted on Twitter that the proposed wall along the United States-Mexico border “will cost more than the government originally thought.”
He did promise, however, that once he gets “involved in the design or the negotiations” the “price will come WAY DOWN!”
[Featured Image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]
