Top Trump ally pumps brakes on 'Day One' MAGA policy plan
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump indicated that he has major goals for his first day in office — but one of his top allies is pumping the brakes on one major agenda item.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) told Raw Story on Friday that he expects most of Trump's plans to quickly pass, including "delivering on border immediately, addressing the economy, tax policy, energy policy, and of course, yes, we're going to have to deal with the debt ceiling."
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He went on to say that "this town," which means Washington, D.C., must "get used to" hearing about spending cuts he vowed are coming.
But he cautioned that his mass deportation plans would not be able to be rushed through — and that Trump would likely have to come to Congress to win backing..
Donalds said that sending immigrants back to their home countries will likely be part of a congressional bill because he expects it will cost a hefty sum.
"There's gonna be some dollars they'll need from us to make that happen," he said. "On tariff policy, the president can largely do it."
While Donalds is right that spending for mass deportations will be necessary — and such spending needs to pass through Congress — a Trump executive order on tariff policy is also questionable. Trade policy is generally a congressional matter.
In November, the Economist questioned whether Trump's promise of hefty tariffs was possible. It noted that over the years, "Congress has ceded more and more authority to the executive branch, and the courts, the third coequal branch of government, have happily blessed the arrangement. Nowhere is this clearer than in trade policy."
The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the powers “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imports and excises” and “to regulate commerce with foreign nations."
The only "out" is that the president can claim it's a national security problem. That will also likely end up in court, experts say.