Rep. David Valadao, a Republican from California who represents a politically competitive swing district, said during a Sunday interview that he’s leaning toward supporting legislation that would shift tariff authority away from the president and back to Congress a clear signal that he wants President Trump to ease up on unilateral trade moves.
Speaking on NewsNation’s The Hill Sunday, Valadao addressed a proposal reportedly being drafted by fellow moderate GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, which would mirror a Senate bill giving Congress greater control over tariffs. When asked if he would support such a bill, Valadao responded, “It probably is,” adding, “I need to take a little bit better look at it.”
He noted that House Speaker Mike Johnson isn’t currently backing the effort, but Valadao argued that it’s worth serious consideration. “I’ve always been someone who supports giving power back to the Congress, the way our founding fathers originally designed,” he said. “And this is one of those powers that belongs in the Congress, and we should be looking at that in, I think, a very serious manner.”
Valadao, who has tried to maintain a more independent profile as a Republican in a district that voted for Joe Biden in 2020, signaled growing discomfort with the sweeping nature of Trump’s tariff policies. He said he’s hearing mixed opinions from constituents and emphasized that while tariffs can be a useful economic tool, they need to be applied thoughtfully.
“There’s absolutely a place for them to be used in the proper way,” he said. “We want a level playing field.” But he made clear that tariffs should serve as a strategy not a political message aimed at achieving fair competition, not punishing allies or inflaming global tensions.
“From my perspective, I think they should be used as a tool to get to a level playing field,” Valadao said. “I won’t speak for the administration on this front, but obviously, I think that we can compete on a level playing field with almost anyone in the world. We just have to make sure we’re able to get there.”
By publicly entertaining a return of tariff power to Congress, Valadao is joining a growing group of lawmakers from both parties urging President Trump to back off from his aggressive trade war approach and consider a more balanced, constitutionally grounded process.