President Donald Trump’s tariffs have become such a political liability that many experts believe they played a direct role in the devastating rebuke Republicans suffered during the 2026 midterm elections. Now that Democrats are poised to reclaim power, a new report reveals that they are targeting Trump’s tariffs through these tactics.
“How Democrats can do this once they assume the majority in both chambers could take different forms, Erica York, a senior economist at the Tax Foundation, told The Hill,” reported The Hill’s Max Rego and Mallory Wilson on Sunday.
“It could be really narrow and just say, ‘These particular tariffs that the president has imposed, we want to … overrule those or … remove those from the books,’ she said of potential legislation,” York added. “It could be more expansive and say, ‘This authority in general shouldn’t sit with the president, and so we want to bring that back to Congress and not let any president do any tariff under this type of authority.’”
Arun Venkataraman, an international trade lawyer with Covington & Burling LLP, argued Democrats could achieve substantive results if they focus on “specific tariff actions” rather than if they try “to do a broadside against underlying” authorities.
Venkataraman added, “I don’t think we’re going to see them out of the gate on day one completely try to revise all of the U.S. trade laws. I think that perhaps the more focused and strategic approach is to address particular tariffs, and then be able to get Republican support for some of that.”
Speaking to AlterNet after the midterm results, a former economist for President Bill Clinton — Dr. Robert J. Shapiro — argued that the Democratic Party is now going to be the party of low tariffs.
“The party has shifted fundamentally on tariffs, and they’re doing so because of the effects of the tariffs and because the tariffs are a signature Trump policy,” Shapiro told AlterNet. “Look, the most direct and easy-to-understand step the Democrats can take to address prices is to repeal all the tariffs in the first week. All the Trump tariffs, just repeal them. You pass a law, let him veto it, and then let’s see whether you can get enough Republicans in the Senate to support it.”
The Trump White House disputes this negative characterization of his tariffs.
“Putting a stop to American workers, farmers, and businesses being ripped off by lopsided trade agreements has been a key foundation of President Trump’s Make America Great Again movement since he first came down the escalator,” White House spokesman Matthew Middleton told AlterNet last week. “President Trump will never waver from putting Americans and America First, whether in trade negotiations or through an economic agenda of tax cuts and deregulation. This administration has already secured almost 20 fair trade deals and trillions in manufacturing investments, and will continue to push for deals that deliver even more job growth, wage increases, and opportunities for hardworking Americans.”