[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 130 (Friday, August 7, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S4533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Tariffs

  Mr. WARNOCK. Mr. President, this letter restricts the President's 
tariff authority under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and 
Iran Act. This is a small but meaningful victory for all Americans who 
continue to suffer under this President's reckless tariffs.
  Let's be clear: Putin is a war criminal, and his war machine must be 
stopped. But we should not have to choose between putting a check on 
Putin's aggression and putting a check on this President's tariff 
regime. That is a false choice, and it is one that I am not willing to 
accept.
  And so I hope, in the coming hours, that we go further during the 
amendment process. I hope my colleagues will join me in stripping out 
any new Presidential tariff authorities. These are not normal times. 
This is not a normal President. If you give him an inch, he will take a 
mile. We don't have to imagine. We are seeing it in real time. And 
everyday people, as a result of that, are struggling--struggling to buy 
groceries, struggling to buy gas, struggling to buy their kids back-to-
school supplies. They are the ones who are suffering the consequences 
of his reckless tariff regime.
  But this commitment that we were able to get from Ambassador Greer is 
meaningful because if the President ignores the law, if he oversteps 
his power, we will see him in court.
  I hope this weeklong process was the first step in Congress 
reasserting its role and placing guardrails on this President's tariff 
regime.
  I urge my colleagues to go back home and talk to ordinary folks 
outside of the beltway. They will tell you that while they support any 
efforts to protect our national security--and that is what this is 
about. This isn't just about Ukraine. It is about our own national 
security. But we must do everything to protect our national security, 
while at the same time bolstering the economic security of everyday 
Americans.
  So as we go back home, ask any parent you meet how much back-to-
school shopping cost them this year. I can tell you as the father of 
two small children, that it is much more than they wanted to spend.
  When we come back to Washington, we can fight for those parents and 
build on this work to check the power of this reckless President.
  But I am glad that we have gotten as far as we have on this issue. I 
would like to thank my friend and brother Senator Cassidy for your 
partnership in this amendment process, and I would like to thank 
Senators Shaheen and Blumenthal for their efforts to find a solution 
and way forward to support Ukraine, to protect our national security 
and our economic security at the same time.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Louisiana.