WASHINGTON–The debate and disagreements over President Trump’s tariffs is expected to affect the schedule of events and legislation on Capitol Hill, but to what degree remains the great unknown.

“I think overall the Democrats are going to use it at every opportunity to criticize the administration,” Jason Stverak, chief advocacy officer at the Defense CU Council, told the Daily. “Anytime there is economic turmoil it’s going to be used to (someone’s advantage). Moving forward, we’re going to hear it come up in nomination hearings, in floor speeches, and in the media. It’s going to affect everything on the agenda on Capitol Hill.”

Similarly, Carrie Hunt, chief advocacy officer with America’s Credit Unions, agreed the issue of tariffs could complicate the timing of various bills in Congress and more. 

‘The Biggest Question’

“Anytime you have an issue that (is more) controversial and that takes time on the calendar, it means there is less time to address other issues,” said Hunt. “There’s been a lot of pushback, of course. We saw a whole slew of protests across our country in various cities. But we have yet to see a true impact from the tariff discussion on how Congress is looking at other issues relative to budget. It’s something we’re watching and we’ll just have to see whether or not it slows the progress on our congressional calendar. The biggest question for us here at America’s Credit Unions is the continued impact on the tax discussion.”