President Donald Trump’s allies in Congress are turning away from reconciliation as the path to codify reciprocal tariffs.
Supporters of reconciliation called for Trump’s reciprocal tariffs to be included in a bill after the Supreme Court struck them down last month. Speaker Mike Johnson has pushed for a reconciliation bill this year, though members of his party believe that whipping a simple majority will prove challenging, if not impossible.
For critical Republican votes, adding tariffs to a reconciliation bill is an absolute nonstarter.
“They’ll never get 218 votes on it,” said Rep. Don Bacon, an outspoken critic of tariffs who is retiring at the end of this term. “I’m not going to let the Republican Party go back to the 1930s and do something that led us to a Great Depression.”
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Some pro-tariff lawmakers on the Republican Study Committee, which is leading the reconciliation push, are advocating for alternative measures to put Trump’s reciprocal tariffs into law.
“I’d 100% be for codifying them,” said Rep. Riley Moore, who introduced a bill to allow the president to impose reciprocal tariffs. “We should really be looking to try to codify some things to balance the playing field for our manufacturers here in this country.”
Other Republicans expressed a willingness to back legislation that supports the president’s tariff agenda. Rep. Russell Fry said he is on board with “whatever the best vehicle is.”
Rep. Michael Cloud said tariffs could “potentially” be in a reconciliation package, but suggested the effort may be unnecessary given the remaining tariff authorities Trump can invoke. Trump has suggested he does not “need” lawmakers’ help.
“From a practical standpoint, he still has all the ability to do what he needs to do,” Cloud said.
Divorcing tariffs from a second reconciliation bill could avoid making difficult legislation even thornier for the party, which has already split in recent weeks over tariff votes. Bacon, along with five other Republicans, voted to cancel Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports and has said he will not vote to extend Trump’s current 15% global tariffs.
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, who sits on the RSC steering committee, said success on reconciliation will hinge on selecting the party’s unifying issues — and tariff policy isn’t one of them.
“To get unanimity on something is very challenging. And so I think what can unify the caucus — and I hope the whole country on reconciliation — is going after true fraud,” Haridopolos said, citing health care fraud in Minnesota and California.
Some members of the committee are still bullish on codifying tariffs, whether in a second reconciliation or a standalone bill.
Rep. Diana Harshbarger said “there has to be another reconciliation,” and that tariffs should be included.
“I don’t know why you wouldn’t — why wouldn’t you?” Harshbarger said.
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