Opinion: Cowardly Republicans Beg President Biden To Do What They Refused to Do Under Trump

For four long years Republicans across the nation stood idly by fawning over Trump even as he created immeasurable damage to the nation, its relationship with its allies, and inflicted no small amount of economic harm to many American industries. All the while, Republicans acted as if they were ignorant of the damage Trump’s slash and burn incompetence wrought on their constituents because they were too cowardly to exercise their constitutional authority to stop the madman in his tracks.

Now, however, that there is a Democrat in the White House the same Republican bootlickers who couldn’t separate their intake orifices from Trump fat exit orifice are appealing to President Joe Biden to stop the “self inflicted damage” they allowed Trump to wreak on many crucial industries and America’s standing with its allies because they refused to do their jobs.

The news that several Republican senators sent a letter to President Joe Biden begging him to reverse the damage from Trump’s imposition of tariffs on America’s allies should have stayed in the news cycle for a couple of weeks if not longer. However, it barely received much more than a passing article or two and it is a very curious thing indeed; because it amplified just how cognizant Republicans were of the damage Trump was causing in real time and how they could have used their constitutional authority to stop him at any time if they wanted to.

According to the United States Constitution, what some Americans consider to be the Law of the Land, only the United States Congress can impose tariffs. Article 1 Section 8 plainly states:

“The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;” And “To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.”

Almost immediately after taking up residence in a place he had no right ever visiting, much less occcupying, Trump took it upon himself to impose tariffs on our allies as well as withdraw from the Trans Pacific Partnership.

Both moves were not only unconstitutional, they inflicted a serious amount of damage on America’s ability to conduct commerce with foreign nations and put American industries at a serious disadvantage. Particularly hard hit was the agriculture industry; and that is not including the substantial harm due to Trump’s disastrously outrageous immigration policies.

Now Republicans admit Trump’s illegal tariffs were a “self inflicted wound” on America, so they are appealing to President Biden to fix Trump’s disastrous malfeasance and do what they refused to do – their jobs.

Although they had the common sense to admit that President Biden was right in condemning Trump’s actions, they never named him as the culprit or confessed their culpability in the catastrophic Trump moves.

Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does it give Congress the authority to transfer Constitutional power from Congress to the Executive Branch. Republicans simply abdicated their duties to Trump knowing full well they would be catastrophic for American businesses, the agriculture sector, the consumers, and the nation’s relationship with its allies and trading partners.

In their letter to President Biden, Republicans said in part:

“It is necessary for your administration to evaluate the tariff experiences of the last three years and determine the policies that have worked and those that have not. As you have stated, the trade war has been damaging and disastrous to many U.S. businesses. We agree that the federal government must stop those actions that are damaging immediately. We also agree with your Administration’s strategy that seeks to work more closely with allies. We believe this must be the centerpiece of any successful efforts to build relationships and ultimately, to hold China accountable for human rights and trade abuses.

 An important first step would be to reduce the barriers to trade with our allies. By doing so, we can stop damaging actions and retaliation and mend relationships while listening to the businesses across the country that have suffered from the negative economic consequences. We urge the Administration to listen to the many stories of these businesses and end the self-inflicted harm from the trade war.” (author bold).

It is worth reiterating that nowhere in the letter signed by seven Republican senators is Trump’s name mentioned, or any admission of guilt for abdicating their Constitutional duty to either fulfill their obligation to “lay tariffs” and “regulate commerce with foreign nations,” or stop Trump from further damaging America at home and abroad. For dog’s sake, they had a prime opportunity to throw the bum out during his first impeachment but they didn’t.

Democrats would do well in the midterms to remind the American people why Republicans had to come crawling to President Biden to repair the damage Trump’s tariffs and immigration policies wrought on them. It is typical in America that a Democratic Administration has to repair major damage after a Republican administration hosed the country through incompetence and bad policies. But what is not normal is Republican Senators begging the Democratic Administration to undo the catastrophic damage their alleged man-turned-god inflicted because Republicans abdicated their sworn duties to a fascist madman.