“If we go into a recession, particularly a bad recession, 2026 [midterms] in all likelihood politically would be a bloodbath.”
So declared Senator Ted Cruz during a recent podcast episode, specifically in reference to Trump’s tariffs.
Who would have seen that coming from Cruz, of all people?
Nonetheless, per a report from Politico, the Texas senator apparently is not “all in” on Trump’s tariffs, a rather surprising stance that only emerged in the wake of the cratering stock market.
Cruz revealed that his unease regarding wide-scale tariffs was further solidified after he engaged in discussions with one of the “Big Three” American automakers on this past Friday.
“This U.S. car company told me they actually thought foreign car companies would benefit more than they would, because if you send it over here, you pay one tariff, whereas [American automakers] are getting hit on each part that is going over,” Cruz intoned.
If so, one would surely hope that such a double tariff conundrum would be resolved for American auto makers, though much of what will or will not happen with tariffs remains murky.
“If we go into a recession – particularly a bad recession – 2026 in all likelihood, politically would be a bloodbath … The upside could be massive, but the downside could be massive,” Cruz warned.
Odd that Cruz just now broaches this possibility. Was it only due to the markets’ collapse?
After all, Trump has been steadily promising tariffs for multiple years.
Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is equally dismayed, noting that many of his constituents are increasingly unhappy.
“I’m getting all kids of reactions from businesses, farmers in Wisconsin that are highly concerned about what’s happening … Those are the facts. All I can really do is report the reality to the administration, let them know how these actions are impacting my constituents, and it’ll be pretty much up to President Trump and his administration to determine exactly how long they’re going to go down this road,” Johnson declared.
Yikes.
Not only are senators emerging with surprising commentary, but also representatives themselves.
As reported by Fox News, Republican Representative Don Bacon trotted out the Constitution to support his points.
“In Article I in the Constitution, really, tariffs should be a Congressional-initiated action. So, this should come from Congress,” Bacon noted.
Bacon’s point does have constitutional grounding.
Indeed, when reviewing Section 8 of Article 1, it appears rather clear that the legislative branch, rather than the executive branch, is granted the authority to collect “duties.”
“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,” the Constitution unequivocally proclaims.
The entirety of Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution may be reviewed here.
Oftentimes, it is quite helpful to review the original text of the U.S. Constitution itself, rather than rely on second- or third-hand interpretations of its tenets.
However, Representative Riley Moore has a different take, as revealed in his recent dialogue with Fox News.
“Try living in generational uncertainty like we have in West Virginia, where we’ve lost thousands of jobs due to globalization and dumping of Chinese steel into our marketplace. That’s what we’re living in. So, what the president is going to do is reorient this country towards the American worker and start producing things,” Moore
Moore, a first-term Congressman from West Virginia, highlights the real reasons that catalyzed Trump’s ascension to the White House in the first place.
“We’re not making anything more, that’s where we need to get back to. No country has ever been made great by consuming; they were made great by producing. President Trump is going to make this country great again by making things,” Moore declared.
Excellent point.
Though Senator Rand Paul appears to diverge tremendously, holding similar viewpoints to Cruz.
“Tariffs have led to political decimation. When [former President William] McKinley most famously put tariffs on in 1890, they lost 50 percent of their seats in the national election. When [Smoot-Hawley] put on their tariff in the early 1930s, we lost the House and the Senate for 60 years. So, they’re not only bad economically, they’re bad politically,” Paul proclaimed.
Well, the midterm elections are quite a ways off … and by then, everything may well be rosy again.
Author: Jane Jones
These content links are provided by Content.ad. Both Content.ad and the web site upon which the links are displayed may receive compensation when readers click on these links. Some of the content you are redirected to may be sponsored content. View our privacy policy here.
To learn how you can use Content.ad to drive visitors to your content or add this service to your site, please contact us at [email protected].
Family-Friendly Content
Website owners select the type of content that appears in our units. However, if you would like to ensure that Content.ad always displays family-friendly content on this device, regardless of what site you are on, check the option below. Learn More
These content links are provided by Content.ad. Both Content.ad and the web site upon which the links are displayed may receive compensation when readers click on these links. Some of the content you are redirected to may be sponsored content. View our privacy policy here.
To learn how you can use Content.ad to drive visitors to your content or add this service to your site, please contact us at [email protected].
Family-Friendly Content
Website owners select the type of content that appears in our units. However, if you would like to ensure that Content.ad always displays family-friendly content on this device, regardless of what site you are on, check the option below. Learn More
