# WSJ: "House Speaker Ryan Breaks With Trump Over Steel Tariffs" **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 5, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069 "2018-03-05T19:13:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/1 "2018-03-05T19:13:42Z")
“Paul Ryan issued an implicit warning to the White House to drop a plan to impose levies on imported steel and aluminum” > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON—House Speaker Paul Ryan broke with President Donald Trump over his decision to impose tariffs on imported aluminum and steel products, issuing an implicit warning to the White House to drop the plan. > > “We are extremely worried about the consequences of a trade war and are urging the White House to not advance with this plan,” said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for the Republican from Wisconsin. “The new tax reform law has boosted the economy and we certainly don’t want to jeopardize those gains.” > > Congressional Republican leaders aren’t ruling out potential legislative action aimed at blocking such tariffs, according to a Republican familiar with the matter. Any such legislative action would take the relationship between the GOP-led Congress and the Republican president into new waters… “New waters”…good! Put your life jackets on! [Link](https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs-1520275634) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/2 "2018-03-05T19:20:12Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “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! > > [Link](https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs-1520275634) 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. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/3 "2018-03-05T19:43:02Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/4 "2018-03-05T19:46:10Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “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! > > [Link](https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs-1520275634) What legislative actions can Congress take, short of a veto override? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/5 "2018-03-05T19:49:35Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > 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?.. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/6 "2018-03-05T19:50:13Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > 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. ”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 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/7 "2018-03-05T19:53:30Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > What legislative actions can Congress take, short of a veto override? How about impeachment? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/8 "2018-03-05T20:03:06Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > ”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 “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. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/9 "2018-03-05T20:12:27Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > How about impeachment? Good luck with _that_. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/10 "2018-03-05T20:19:31Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > What legislative actions can Congress take, short of a veto override? The president only has authority to create tariffs because congress gave the office the authority to do so. They could take that authority away. > [@](#): > > The Constitution explicitly grants Congress power “To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations” — a power that necessarily includes the ability to impose tariffs. The only reason Trump can impose the 25 percent steel tariff and 10 percent aluminum tariff is that Congress has granted him some tariff authority. “While the Constitution gives the President authority to negotiate international agreements,” a 2016 Congressional Research Service report states, “it assigns him no specific power over international commerce and trade.” > **[Analysis | Paul Ryan doesn’t want Trump’s trade war. But will he actually do...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/05/paul-ryan-doesnt-want-trumps-trade-war-but-will-he-actually-do-anything-about-it/?utm_term=.10988dd00281)** > > The Constitution gives Congress the power over tariffs. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/11 "2018-03-05T20:29:32Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Good luck with _that_. Common refrain. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/12 "2018-03-05T21:17:02Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > The president only has authority to create tariffs because congress gave the office the authority to do so. They could take that authority away. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/05/paul-ryan-doesnt-want-trumps-trade-war-but-will-he-actually-do-anything-about-it/?utm\_term=.10988dd00281](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/05/paul-ryan-doesnt-want-trumps-trade-war-but-will-he-actually-do-anything-about-it/?utm_term=.10988dd00281) 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. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/13 "2018-03-05T21:19:16Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > 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. 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](http://time.com/5183838/european-union-tariffs-donald-trump-bourbon-levis-harley-davidson/) like Wisconsin and Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/14 "2018-03-05T21:30:48Z")
Most notably Harleys and bourbon, if you’re interested. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/15 "2018-03-05T21:35:13Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “New waters” 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. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/16 "2018-03-05T21:41:29Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > The president only has authority to create tariffs because congress gave the office the authority to do so. They could take that authority away. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/05/paul-ryan-doesnt-want-trumps-trade-war-but-will-he-actually-do-anything-about-it/?utm\_term=.10988dd00281](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/05/paul-ryan-doesnt-want-trumps-trade-war-but-will-he-actually-do-anything-about-it/?utm_term=.10988dd00281) And if they did pass a law curtailing that authority, wouldn’t the President have to sign said law? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/17 "2018-03-05T21:51:06Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/18 "2018-03-05T23:19:42Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > And if they did pass a law curtailing that authority, wouldn’t the President have to sign said law? 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. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/19 "2018-03-05T23:37:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069/20 "2018-03-05T23:39:55Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-house-speaker-ryan-breaks-with-trump-over-steel-tariffs/810069.md?page=2)