Not everybody is happy with President Donald Trump's prolific use of tariffs to address trade imbalances with foreign nations, be they allies or rivals, and though the opposition from most Democrats and the media has been predictable, a surprising number of Republicans have also joined the anti-tariff outcry.

Several Senate Republicans have now signed on in support of a bipartisan bill that will wrestle back control over tariffs from the executive to the legislative branch, effectively limiting Trump's use of the economic tool, Newsmax reported.

The president has yet to respond to this new effort to broadly curtail his authority on tariffs, at least not publicly, but he did previously lash out against Republican senators who backed an earlier Democrat-led measure to specifically terminate his tariffs against Canada.

Negative reaction to Trump's tariffs

It was on Wednesday that, after months of threats to do so, President Trump unveiled what his administration calls reciprocal tariffs against all foreign trading partners that start at a baseline of 10% but in most instances are substantially higher and are designed to match -- and ultimately discourage -- existing tariffs and trade barriers that have been imposed against the U.S.

Global markets have been roiled by the sudden uncertainty, and now a bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to essentially strip the executive branch of its authority to impose or revise tariffs and instead place final authority over such moves with Congress.

That effort is led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and their bill, dubbed the Trade Review Act of 2025, has now been joined by a dozen co-sponsors, including GOP Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, and Todd Young of Indiana.

What would Grassley's bill do?

"For too long, Congress has delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch," Sen. Grassley said in a statement about the bill. "Building on my previous efforts as Finance Committee Chairman, I’m joining Senator Cantwell to introduce the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reassert Congress’ constitutional role and ensure Congress has a voice in trade policy."

If that bill were to become law, it would require the president to give Congress notification within 48 hours after any tariff is newly imposed or increased, and that notification would need to include not only an explanation and reasoning for the tariff but also a detailed analysis of its potential impact on U.S. businesses and consumers.

Furthermore, any new or increased tariff would expire after 60 days unless specifically approved by both chambers of Congress, but could also be ended earlier than that with an explicit vote of disapproval by both legislative chambers.

What does Trump have to say about this?

Newsmax noted that it was unclear if Senate GOP leadership would bring Sen. Grassley's bill to the floor for a vote, where it would likely pass in light of the number of Republicans who've expressed support for it.

The Senate already passed, with four Republicans voting in favor, a bill that would end all of the recent tariffs President Trump has imposed against Canada. However, it also seems unlikely at this point that the Republican-controlled House would bring either measure to the floor for a vote.

Following the Senate's passage of the Democratic bill to terminate Trump's tariffs against Canada, he fired back on Truth Social against the four Republicans who voted for it, and said, "The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four, in that it is not going anywhere because the House will never approve it and I, as your President, will never sign it."

Trump has not yet specifically addressed the new proposed legislation to constrain his ability to impose tariffs, but he has made multiple posts in support of the duties on imported goods that are likely intended to help strengthen GOP resolve amid the incessant critiques of Democrats and the media.

"China has been hit much harder than the USA, not even close. They, and many other nations, have treated us unsustainably badly. We have been the dumb and helpless 'whipping post,' but not any longer," Trump said in one such post on Saturday. "We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before. Already, more than FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT, and rising fast! THIS IS AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION, AND WE WILL WIN. HANG TOUGH, it won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"