Embrace the Gridlock (Hunter Field Editor’s Note)

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Tariffs.

We’ve editorialized about them, as has just about every news publication in the U.S. We’ve had guests write op-eds about them, including today. We’ve reported on their impact so far.

I’m growing more and more tired of reading and talking about them, but this really isn’t a column about tariffs. This is a column about the slow wheels of government.

I start with tariffs because it offers a clear example of the peril of forgetting the merits of government gridlock.

The U.S. Constitution grants Congress tariff power, not the president, and there’s no way Congress would implement any of the tariffs we’ve seen imposed by President Donald Trump 100 days into his second term.

Instead, Trump has usurped Congress by declaring national security threats or emergencies. With these declarations, Trump can invoke executive emergency powers under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

There are smart, sincere people on both sides of the argument about whether an aggressive tariff policy is sound. Many industries in the U.S. are undoubtedly playing at a disadvantage due to the market manipulation of some trade partners. Trade, though, is not a zero-sum game, and tariffs are taxes, plain and simple. They affect prices, supply chains, international relations and ultimately the competitiveness of Arkansas companies.

Historically, tariffs have been subject to rigorous debate in Congress, where industries, regions and consumers all get a voice. That process may be slow and messy, but it forces consensus and guards against hasty economic decisions.

This is the brilliance of the way the founding fathers structured our government, giving authority over the most impactful, widesweeping issues to Congress.

The founding fathers wanted clear consensus on issues like war, immigration and taxes, seeking to ensure only the best policies rose to the top and we didn’t shift constantly depending on which party held the White House or even a small majority in both legislative chambers.

This is critical when the people of California and the people of Arkansas must both operate under the same set of federal laws and when businesses need to be able to reliably forecast.

It is a feature, not a bug. Somewhere along the way we seem to have forgotten that.

More and more, politicians are celebrating “bold” unilateral action. Compromise is rejected rather than celebrated, and we’ve moved to the poles.

While I’ve argued that occasional gridlock in Congress is by design, I do think this tariff episode may have exposed something of a bug. That is: Congress being so devoid of consensus that it can’t act in unison to rein in executive overreach.

I believe the founders would have a hard time fathoming that. Just having revolted from a monarchy and all.

Email Hunter Field, editor of Arkansas Business, at hfield@abpg.com