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More Stupid Shit: Tariff Edition [1]
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Date: 2025-01-26
Felonious is busily threatening everybody and their grandmother with tariffs. The media naturally cover it implying toughness when in fact many are empty threats. Here's a good piece looking at the various statutes that authorize the Executive to impose tariffs without the consent of Congress.
Can the President Impose Tariffs without Congressional Approval?
natlawreview.com/…
The upshot is his recent threat to impose tariffs on imports from Colombia for its refusal to accept deportees on military flights is not within his gift. Colombia's complaint is the mistreatment of its citizens who are handcuffed and flown out like chattel. The government there has said it will send civilian aircraft to pick their citizens up if needs be.
Of course that throws a monkey wrench in Felonious' plans for performative immigration enforcement. Like Presidents before him, he lacks the resources to exceed deportation rates of his predecessors, so he will depend on spectacle, cruelty and the outrage they generate to convince his base otherwise.
As has been said by many, cruelty is the point. Colombia's refusal to allow its citizens to be abused and used as props in his security theater is naturally infuriating.
On one level, yhe empty threat of tariffs is necessary to maintain front of toughness though. The media should be calling him out on it.
That said, it doesn't mean he won't try to impose them as raw meat to his base. By the time the dust on ligation settled, the economic damage to US companies and consumers would be done.
It's just more stupid shit his base gobbles up.
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