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Tenn. Senator Corker rails at fellow Republicans 'We might poke the bear'

senate.gov

WASHINGTON, Tenn. (OSBORNE)  --  Tennessee Senator Bob Corker is denouncing his Republican colleagues for failing to confront President Donald Trump for imposing tariffs on some of the nation’s closest trading partners.

Corker pounded the podium and screamed at fellow Senators Tuesday on the chamber floor.

The Senator was trying to get colleagues to consider an amendment he’s proposed to a defense spending authorization bill. The amendment would curb the president’s ability to use national security as an excuse to bypass Congress when imposing Tariffs.

“Article One of the Constitution declares that Congress is the determiner on tariffs. We are the ones that, per the Constitution, have been charge with the ability – actually the responsibility to deal with tariffs; to deal with revenues.”

Fellow Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma objected to having the Corker Amendment added to his defense bill. He complained the controversy was slowing passage of his measure and offered an alternative.

“So I would like to join Senator Corker in finding another bill, and I would do all I could to help him get that on as an amendment.”

But Corker wasn’t interested in the alternative and railed at fellow Republicans for being unwilling to risk the president’s wrath in an election year.

“’We might poke the bear,’ Is the language I’ve been hearing in the hallways. ‘We might poke the bear. The president might get upset with us as United States Senators if we vote on the Corker Amendment, so we’re going to block it.”

Corker conceded that Senate leadership would not allow a vote on his amendment even though it has bi-partisan support and 14 co-sponsors.