Fischer introduces Trade Security Act to ensure DOD justifies national security threats

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) is among the original cosponsors of a bipartisan bill to ensure the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) justifies that any new Section 232 tariffs meet the threshold for being a national security threat.

“I’m pleased to join my colleagues on this bipartisan legislation that maintains the administration’s ability to use trade tools to protect national security while restoring Congress’s oversight role,” said Sen. Fischer.

The Trade Security Act, S. 365, sponsored on Feb. 6 by U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), would reform Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to require that DOD defend the national security basis for new tariffs under Section 232 and increase congressional oversight of this process.

Among the members joining Sen. Fischer as an original cosponsor of S. 365 are U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Todd Young (R-IN), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Doug Jones (D-AL).

“While I support modernizing our trade agreements, agriculture producers in Nebraska and across the country continue to face uncertainty as a result of tariffs,” said Sen. Fischer, who serves on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. “Agriculture is the backbone of Nebraska’s economy, and we must make sure our producers and manufacturers have the market access they need to prosper.”

If enacted, S. 365 would expand the use of the disapproval resolution process for all products. This remedy currently is available only for Section 232 actions for oil and petroleum products, according to a summary provided by Sen. Fischer’s office.

S. 365 also would split the Section 232 process into an investigation phase led by DOD and a remedy phase overseen by the U.S. Commerce Department, according to the summary.

Under such a process, DOD would assess a potential threat posed by certain imports and issue a report to the president, the summary says. If the president wanted to take action against this threat, then, in consultation with Congress, the president would direct the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Trade Representative to recommend a response to that threat before deciding how to proceed, according to the summary.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 6 received S. 365 for consideration.