'Terrible idea': Republican senator slams Mike Johnson’s 'dishonesty'

28 April

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) attends a press conference following a House Republican conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 17, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

One longtime Republican senator is taking aim at House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and accusing him of underhanded tricks to get around having to vote on a contentious piece of legislation.

CNN reporter Manu Raju tweeted Monday that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is publicly opposed to President Donald Trump's broad tariffs, believes he has enough votes in the Senate between Democrats and anti-tariff Republicans to stop Trump's new trade duties from taking effect. But Johnson is now reportedly seeking to prevent any vote on tariff legislation with a new arcane rule dictating House procedures — effectively doing an end-run around Paul's resolution.

"I would call it chicanery. I would call it dishonesty,” the Kentucky Republican told Raju. “I mean, it's just a terrible idea that he's actually overturning the law with a rule."

Paul's resolution, which he is pushing alongside co-sponsor Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), would officially end the national emergency Trump declared in order to impose his new trade duties. Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose the tariffs while bypassing Congressional approval. Should the resolution pass both chambers of Congress, Trump has promised to veto it.

"This resolution would undermine the administration’s efforts to address the unusual and extraordinary threats to national security and economic stability, posed by the conditions reflected in the large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficit," the White House told Politico in a statement.

But a vote and veto may never come, as Johnson aims to put a rule in place effectively making it so no new legislative day — which normally takes place whenever the House gavels back into session after having gaveled out — will pass as long as a national emergency is in effect. This means that when a privileged resolution like the Paul-Wyden legislation is brought to the floor, the stature that requires a vote after 15 legislative days would never take effect. The rule has been placed into a must-pass budget bill that would take effect once the legislation is signed into law.

"I've made it very clear I think the president has executive authority," Johnson said of the rule. "It's an appropriate level of authority to deal with the unfair trade practices. That's part of the role of the president is to negotiate with other countries."

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