Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), who represents a swing district, said on Sunday he is inclined to support a bill to restore tariff power to Congress.
In an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday,” anchor Chris Stirewalt noted a fellow moderate Republican, Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.), is said to be drafting a companion bill to the Senate’s, which would give Congress more authority on tariffs.
“It probably is,” Valadao said when asked whether he could support such a bill. “I need to take a little bit better look at it.
“I’ve already heard the Speaker’s … not supportive of it, obviously, but it is something that should be considered,” he continued. “I’ve always been someone who supports giving power back to the Congress, the way our Founding Fathers originally designed.”
“And this is one of those powers that belongs in the Congress, and we should be looking at that in, I think, a very serious manner,” he added.
Valadao said he’s hearing a range of opinions from constituents on Trump’s tariffs. The House Republican said he “absolutely” thinks there’s a “place for them to be used in the proper way,” noting, “We want a level playing field.”
“From my perspective, I think they should be used as a tool to get to a level playing field. I won’t speak for the administration on this front, but obviously, I think that we can compete on a level playing field with almost anyone in the world. We just have to make sure we’re able to get there,” he said.