The Daily Fuckup

House Ways and Means ranking member Richard Neal and Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden are taking aim at one part of a Russia sanctions bill: the tariff power it would hand the president. In a July 14 statement, the two Democrats said they support tougher action against countries that keep buying Russian energy, but warned that the latest draft goes too far by letting Trump impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on major trading partners and allies. They also said Congress would not be able to stop him from lowering or raising those tariffs on his own.

That objection is aimed at the bill’s structure, not its target. The text of H.R. 2548 would require the president to raise duties on countries that knowingly buy Russian-origin oil, uranium, natural gas, petroleum products or petrochemical products. It also says the president may issue a one-time waiver for up to 180 days if he decides it serves U.S. national security interests.

The bill includes other Russia sanctions provisions as well, including duties on Russian goods and services and sanctions tied to uranium. But the tariff language is the flash point for Neal and Wyden, who argue Congress should not write a sanctions measure that doubles as a broad, reusable tariff engine.

Their statement lands as the Trump administration keeps using tariff action elsewhere. In June, the White House issued a new action adjusting tariffs on aluminum, steel and copper imports. In April, it moved ahead with tariffs on patented pharmaceutical products and separately with an action covering pharmaceutical imports and ingredients. That backdrop helps explain why Democrats on the tax and trade committees are wary of adding more tariff discretion, even inside a bill focused on Russia.

For now, Neal and Wyden are not breaking with the sanctions effort itself. They are signaling a narrower fight over who gets to control the tariff lever, how long it can stay in place, and whether Congress is prepared to give the White House that much room in a Russia bill.