Tom Nichols

It's privileged. That means it has to get a vote. Most bills you introduce are just like for messaging. They don't go anywhere, right? But where can you actually force a vote? And one of those rules is when the president declares an emergency,

to do something like impose a sanction on a foreign country or impose tariffs because he used an emergency declaration to impose those tariffs or threaten them against Canada and Mexico.

to do something like impose a sanction on a foreign country or impose tariffs because he used an emergency declaration to impose those tariffs or threaten them against Canada and Mexico.

to do something like impose a sanction on a foreign country or impose tariffs because he used an emergency declaration to impose those tariffs or threaten them against Canada and Mexico.

That's right. They did stay. So there are other ways of imposing tariffs, but when he uses a declaration of emergency, a single member of the House or Senate can bring forward a resolution to repeal that state of emergency. And there has to be a vote very, very quickly.

That's right. They did stay. So there are other ways of imposing tariffs, but when he uses a declaration of emergency, a single member of the House or Senate can bring forward a resolution to repeal that state of emergency. And there has to be a vote very, very quickly.

That's right. They did stay. So there are other ways of imposing tariffs, but when he uses a declaration of emergency, a single member of the House or Senate can bring forward a resolution to repeal that state of emergency. And there has to be a vote very, very quickly.

So on tariffs, you know, I'm not sure if I would do this on China, but certainly on Canada, Mexico, the EU, I would absolutely force the Republicans to vote up or down on an action that is absolutely going to hurt workers, consumers, and manufacturers in their districts and in their states. And either you get a vote that actually defeats the tariff, Trump could veto it.

So on tariffs, you know, I'm not sure if I would do this on China, but certainly on Canada, Mexico, the EU, I would absolutely force the Republicans to vote up or down on an action that is absolutely going to hurt workers, consumers, and manufacturers in their districts and in their states. And either you get a vote that actually defeats the tariff, Trump could veto it.

So on tariffs, you know, I'm not sure if I would do this on China, but certainly on Canada, Mexico, the EU, I would absolutely force the Republicans to vote up or down on an action that is absolutely going to hurt workers, consumers, and manufacturers in their districts and in their states. And either you get a vote that actually defeats the tariff, Trump could veto it.

So eventually, you know, he'll probably win that confrontation. But it either puts Republicans on the record against him, which is politically useful, or it forces them to hold their nose and vote for something that's going to hurt their constituents badly, and they will be punished for that.

So eventually, you know, he'll probably win that confrontation. But it either puts Republicans on the record against him, which is politically useful, or it forces them to hold their nose and vote for something that's going to hurt their constituents badly, and they will be punished for that.

So eventually, you know, he'll probably win that confrontation. But it either puts Republicans on the record against him, which is politically useful, or it forces them to hold their nose and vote for something that's going to hurt their constituents badly, and they will be punished for that.

who is brilliant and creative and understands that, just like Trump understands, you have to keep going forward, forward, forward. You've got to keep the initiative and define the terms of the debate every single day.

who is brilliant and creative and understands that, just like Trump understands, you have to keep going forward, forward, forward. You've got to keep the initiative and define the terms of the debate every single day.

who is brilliant and creative and understands that, just like Trump understands, you have to keep going forward, forward, forward. You've got to keep the initiative and define the terms of the debate every single day.

Jim McGovern, who may not be quite as well known, but he's the ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee, and absolutely, I think, would be not just a master of these rules, but willing to use them in creative and aggressive ways. Most Democrats are a little bit more cautious. I mean, you know, you've gotten to know a lot of Democrats the last few years. We tend to think through things a lot.

Jim McGovern, who may not be quite as well known, but he's the ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee, and absolutely, I think, would be not just a master of these rules, but willing to use them in creative and aggressive ways. Most Democrats are a little bit more cautious. I mean, you know, you've gotten to know a lot of Democrats the last few years. We tend to think through things a lot.

Jim McGovern, who may not be quite as well known, but he's the ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee, and absolutely, I think, would be not just a master of these rules, but willing to use them in creative and aggressive ways. Most Democrats are a little bit more cautious. I mean, you know, you've gotten to know a lot of Democrats the last few years. We tend to think through things a lot.

We weigh the pros and cons of everything endlessly. We obviously want to make sure everything we do is legal and that's good. We over-interpret polls. We've got consultants who say you should only take on issues that are already popular and only oppose things that are already unpopular. Be very careful. And if we keep going that way, Trump will have made 60 decisions before we even make one.