President Trump said that he would allow both Mexico and Canada to avoid tariffs on exports covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement for one month—until April 2, 2025—after he imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico and raised tariffs on China an additional 10% to 20% on Tuesday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the White House’s tariffs, saying that “access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American Dream.” Instead, Bessent argued that the “American Dream is rooted in the concept that any citizen can achieve prosperity, upward mobility, and economic security.”
Congressional Democrats responded to the imposition of Trump’s tariffs by introducing resolutions of disapproval to terminate Trump’s use of authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The IEEPA allows Congress to introduce a privileged resolution to terminate the authority, which must be brought to the House for a floor vote within 15 days.