U.S. senator says Democrats will have a tough time curtailing Trump’s tariff policy

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsCanadaCanadian Politics U.S. senator says Democrats will have a tough time curtailing Trump’s tariff policy Democrats are hopeful that they will have good results during the Nov. 3 midterm elections Author of the article: By Jordan Gowling Published Sep 01, 2026 Last updated 34 minutes ago 3 minute read Join the conversation U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego holds a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa Sept. 1, 2026. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE /Postmedia Article content OTTAWA – U.S. Senator from Arizona Ruben Gallego tempered expectations around the prospect of Democrats gaining a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate and using that power to curtail U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada. Article content “I do think they’ll use their power,” said Gallego, during a press conference at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa on Tuesday. “The question is, do you have enough to overcome vetoes and things of that nature.” Article content Article content Article content Democrats are hopeful that they will have good results during the Nov. 3 midterm elections, amid Trump’s low approval ratings. Article content EXCLUSIVE NEWSLETTER Political Hack Political Hack gets at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill. Wednesdays and Fridays. Subscribe Now See all of our newsletters Article content Gallego, who was in Ottawa visiting with embassy staff and Canadian politicians to discuss the ongoing trade dispute, said Congress and the Senate have historically given up too much of their power to the president when it comes to trade policy. Article content Trump has applied most of his tariffs through executive action. The tariffs he enacted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in February, but the president has since found other pieces of legislation to apply more levies on goods from other countries. Article content The president also has the power to veto legislation. Article content “There’s going to be a strong incentive for Democrats to actually engage on oversight when it comes to tariffs,” said Gallego. “The…number one reason why is because by the Constitution, it’s the Senate and Congress in general that actually has tariff policy.” Article content Canada walked away from a potential interim trade deal with the U.S. on Aug. 21,…