Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 | 2 a.m.
Listen carefully. Lost in the authoritarian lies of President Donald Trump and the alarmist hair-on-fire rhetoric of the political left, there is a deafening silence that demands attention.
Trump has long pitched his tariffs as a blunt instrument to “bring jobs back” and punish foreign competitors for what he calls “unfair trade.” He has repeatedly claimed that tariffs protect American workers and rebuild domestic industry.
Economists, business leaders and trade allies have warned instead of higher prices, retaliatory measures and global economic uncertainty.
Since announcing his tariffs earlier this year, a thicket of lawsuits has challenged both the scope and legality of Trump’s actions, arguing that the president lacks clear authority to impose them unilaterally and that the economic costs far outweigh any strategic gains.
This month, a federal appeals court delivered a sharp rebuke to Trump’s unilateral trade gambit. It found that he had overstepped his authority by invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs — an action properly within Congress’ exclusive domain, at least according to the Constitution. The court temporarily stayed the ruling to allow a Supreme Court appeal.
Take note, the court didn’t say the tariffs themselves are illegal, but that Trump cannot impose them unilaterally. Instead, he must have the support of Congress. Given that Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress, it would seem like a simple and straightforward act to provide rubber-stamp approval and settle the legal questions surrounding the tariffs once and for all.
At least it would be straightforward, if Republicans truly believed in the benefit or necessity of Trump’s trade strategy. The fact that Republicans in Congress have decided instead to remain dormant and silent on the issue speaks volumes.
The political logic at play is transparent, even if unspoken. GOP lawmakers understand that approving such a measure would be tantamount to a pact with economic peril and incredibly damaging to their constituents. The Yale University Budget Lab estimates that the tariffs, which are a tax, will add about $2,400 a year to the average household’s expenses, and that was before the latest round of retaliatory tariffs took effect. Moreover, the Budget Lab analysis doesn’t take into account lost benefits and wages as businesses issue hiring and promotion freezes or downsize staff as they navigate unpredictable supply-chain shocks and increased input costs. Trump’s tariffs are the largest tax increase on citizens and businesses in American history.
Stuck between an unscrupulous president and a price backlash from their voters, Republican leaders are remaining silent and quietly letting the courts grapple with the fallout.
But the GOP’s refusal to pass authorizing legislation isn’t an act of principle — it’s political cowardice. Republicans have the tools to end this legal uncertainty. Yet for all their talk of “pro-business governance,” “fiscal responsibility” and “constitutional textualism,” they are silent on the most important legal and economic questions of the day, knowing that the 2026 election is just around the corner. They know these are massive taxes on Americans, they’re just afraid to say it to Trump’s face and to the voters.
But voters know better and should reject empty assurances and partisan spin.
Regardless of political affiliation, Americans understand that government policies affect American businesses and hard-working American families, and right now, Trump’s economic policies are moving us in the wrong direction. Mass tariffs are inflicting real damage to the U.S. economy and the GOP’s silence is amplifying that damage.
No matter what Republican politicians may say in speeches or social media posts, the contemporary GOP has proven it has nothing to do with traditional conservative values of fiscal responsibility or limited government. Instead, the modern GOP is obsessed with the raw exercise of power to shift wealth away from the middle class and small businesses to the upper class.
Congress could stop or legalize these tariffs anytime it wanted. By choosing not to act, Republicans send an unmistakable message: They know the breadth of damage awaiting the nation and they’d rather look the other way.