We need to reform tariff policy
Trump has a nasty habit of turning everything into a test of personal loyalty to him, even substantive disagreements on policy. Not everything is TDS.
When President Trump unilaterally imposed tariffs on a number of foreign nations on April 2, it should have raised concerns by people who are constitutionally literate. The Constitution does not give this power to the executive branch, but reserves it to the legislative branch:
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
The problem is that Congress abdicated its duty and surrendered its authority over tariffs to the executive branch. One of the reasons for doing this was to reduce corruption, which is indeed a worthwhile goal. However, the answer to that is to implement reforms curtailing the corruption, not abdicating a core constitutional responsibility to the executive branch. The founding fathers would be horrified to see the state of affairs with the emasculated Congress we have today.
This is also why it is overly dramatic to say Trump is being a "dictator" by using this authority. Trump is using the authority abdicated to him (and many previous Presidents) by Congress, which could (and should) take its rightful constitutional authority back. The blame belongs to Congress, not President Trump.
It is also ridiculous to describe Senator Rand Paul as "unbelievably disloyal" after he voted to overturn some of the tariffs. Paul has consistently opposed expanded executive authority and higher taxes since he was elected in 2010, and is standing by the principles he has held since then. Trump has a nasty habit of turning everything into a test of personal loyalty to him, even disagreements on policy where Republicans stand by what have been mainstream Republican principles for decades.
Trump has argued these tariffs are "reciprocal" tariffs in response to tariffs imposed on American goods by other countries. Whether the tariffs are actually as high as Trump claims they are is in dispute, but let's assume the data is correct. Tariffs on foreign goods are not paid by foreign corporations or foreign governments. They are paid by American consumers, when the cost gets passed to us for purchasing foreign-made goods. Inflation has already been a drain on the economy, so increasing the cost of foreign-made goods will only harm consumers more. Punishing American consumers is not the solution to trading partners punishing their own.
What about opening markets to American goods? Some have argued that Trump is simply trying to use tariffs as leverage to open markets, but this does not match the rhetoric that the self-proclaimed "Tariff Man" has been spouting for many years now. If the threat or implementation of reciprocal tariffs do indeed result in market liberalization, that is a good thing. Tariffs can also be a foreign policy tool to get cooperation on other critical matters, such as drug trafficking. However, according to the Constitution, that should be implemented by Congress, not the President. This could be an opportunity for Trump to show leadership by forcing Congress to do its job - something that they have refused to do for far too long.
One thing we can do to be more competitive is look at the regulatory burden faced by American businesses that are not shared by foreign corporations. This is an area where Trump has been very good, far better than previous Republican Presidents. Trump ordered agencies to get rid of ten regulations for every new one implemented, a dramatic improvement over Trump's already excellent policy from his first term of eliminating two regulations for every one implemented. More can be done, however, by returning legislative authority to the legislative branch. Congress abdicated its lawmaking authority to the bureaucracy generations ago, and unelected bureaucrats have long been able to write regulations that have the force of law - including criminal law.
The Republican Party has advocated for lower taxes for generations, and past generations of Republicans understood that tariffs are taxes on the American consumer. There is a reason the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) needed Republican votes to pass (132 to 43) while Democrats voted 156 to 102 against it. The (unfortunately few) Republicans who disagree with President Trump are not being "disloyal" to Trump, but are rather being loyal to the party's history of supporting free markets and lower taxes. Republicans should continue standing for lower taxes, not artificially increasing the prices of goods paid for by American consumers.