“Paul Ryan issued an implicit warning to the White House to drop a plan to impose levies on imported steel and aluminum”
“New waters”…good! Put your life jackets on!
Or break out the popcorn.
I predict either Trump will walk back what he said (or have one of his minions do so) or Ryan will cave as the Trump loyalists put pressure on him. At this moment, I’d hate to have to put up odd on either.
I really can’t imagine Ryan growing a spine at this late date. I think there is a chance that Trump just kind of stops talking about tariffs, never really takes any action and moves on to the next thing; but I also think there is a chance he makes up a childish nickname for Ryan and starts tweeting about him at 5am tomorrow morning.
What legislative actions can Congress take, short of a veto override?
Finally move to impeach the incompetent buffoon because he’s not fit to shove shit from one place to another?..
”Cryin’ Paulie Ryan” has a nice ring to it.
What about Mitch McConnell? “Human Speed Bag”is how I think of him (his head is the perfect shape and his expression is eminently punchable) but it isn’t playground-taunting enough.
Stranger
How about impeachment?
“Mushy Mitch McConnell.” It’s childish, it attacks his physical appearance, with enough plausible deniability that it’s really about his inability to stand for anything Trump wants.
Good luck with that.
The president only has authority to create tariffs because congress gave the office the authority to do so. They could take that authority away.
Common refrain.
They could, but I doubt they have the spine to challenge their own president unless companies start feeling the impact. These things take time, which is why I’ve argued that things will have to get worse before they get better.
He isn’t growing a spine, he’s just serving the interests of a different master at this point as the EU is responding with a series of proposed counter-tariffs specifically targeted towards products made in Republican states like Wisconsin and Kentucky.
Most notably Harleys and bourbon, if you’re interested.
Russian sanctions - Imposed by the Republican Congress.
The fact that Trump actually took NAFTA into renegotiations rather than simply axing it was, almost certainly, because Ryan and McConnell told him, behind the scenes, that they would simply enshrine it in law if he tried to do it.
And if they did pass a law curtailing that authority, wouldn’t the President have to sign said law?
Do you think they’d have a hard time getting enough D votes to override a veto, on a bill to take power away from Trump?
Did you read the article? They could override a veto with a 2/3 vote which would require the GOP to get Democratic buy-in, or they could insert the clause in to a must sign piece of legislation. Both are extreme measures and Ryan has never demonstrated any interest in governing before, so they seem unlikely.
They might find enough Dems who would love to upset Trump, but I doubt there are many courageous Republicans left in the party.
Paul Ryan is such a sack of shit.
White nationalism? Meh
Sexually abusing women and potentially children? Meh
Treason? Meh
Gross incompetence? Meh
Emotional instability? Meh
Massive criminal conspiracies? Meh
Making life harder for the business community? Thats a bridge too far.
It doesn’t matter what Trump wants or what Ryan wants.
All that matters is what the Koch Brothers want. And what the Mercers and Sheldon Adelson and the other top donors want.
To the extent they agree that the steel and aluminum tariffs would hurt their bottom lines, to that extent will Paul Ryan dare to defy Donald Trump.
Thus far and no further.