Mike Pence Calls On Congress To 'Reclaim' It's Tariff Authorities

In a CNN interview on Thursday, former Vice President Mike Pence spoke about tariffs.

Transcript

00:00I think they've got to tell their story.

00:03You know, I was the third-ranking Republican during my time in the Congress.

00:06I was not only led the Conservative Caucus, but I was the conference chairman.

00:11And I understand that if you can't communicate, you can't govern.

00:15And I think it's absolutely essential, and I'd say to every one of my former friends,

00:20or former colleagues and my friends in Congress,

00:23is get out across America, talk about what you did here.

00:26And also, I would also say I think the time has come for the Congress to push back

00:32and reclaim some of their authority on this whole question of tariffs.

00:36I really do believe, when you look at the Constitution, you look at the long sweep of history,

00:42that tariffs are taxes.

00:46Taxes are under the Constitution, Article I, Section 8, to originate in the Congress.

00:51That's been handed off over the last hundred years.

00:54So what the president and I did during our time was not inconsistent with the law.

01:01And the Supreme Court will decide about the president's use of the IEPA statute now.

01:07But I think it's absolutely important that the Congress essentially reclaim,

01:13in the spirit of the separation of powers, its control over setting industrial policy,

01:19setting tax policy, setting tariff policy.

01:22And I think that, combined with telling the story about how they extended those tax cuts,

01:29defunded Planned Parenthood, reformed Medicaid, built up our military,

01:35is a winning message in 2026 and beyond.

01:38And you'll be part of that conversation.

01:40It's very good to see you.

01:41Thank you for coming in today.

01:42Okay, Kate.

01:42Thank you so much.