Our Enemy, Canada
US Constitution, Article 1, §8
- The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.
- To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
- To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes
On December 7th, 1941, the day that “will live in infamy,” the United States was attacked by Japan. The next day, President Franklin Roosevelt went to the Congress and asked them to declare war. It was the last time war was declared by the United States, even though we have fought five major wars since.
The Cold War changed all of that. When we arrived in the era with the specter of nuclear destruction hovering over every facet of American life, there was no time for the niceties of Congressional judgment. As a second grader, hiding in the hallway of an elementary school in primary target zone Detroit, I was prepared for a nuclear detonation: head between my knees, hands over the back of my head, eyes firmly closed to the flash. It could happen; less than an hour from start to finish. Congress didn’t have a chance.
Congress, in recognition of the immediacy of war, began to divest its powers to the President. While they retained “ultimate” authority, it was clear that the US government needed to be able to act quickly to defend itself. It originally was the war making powers, but later devolved into the power to respond economically if a nation threatened our “security” through its trade practices.
There were two implications in this transfer of power. The first was that while Congress might give immediate decision making away, it retained the ability to reconsider. And second, that since the power was given by Congress, they could take it back.
Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the same year I was hiding in the hallway, allows the Secretary of Commerce to defend our “national security” industries by controlling tariffs. Under the terms of this section, the Secretary declares that an industry, vital to our national security, needs to be protected. He can then set a higher tariff (tax on imports) on competing goods from other countries.
Last week, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross declared that Canada, yes Canada, was a danger to US national security because of the competition of Canadian steel and aluminum with US products. He instituted a 25% tariff on Canadian steel, and a 10% tariff on Canadian aluminum.
Since Franklin Roosevelt declared the “day of infamy;” for the purposes of national security Canadian steel and aluminum production was considered part of the US production. It made sense, our “real” national security was tied to Canada; during the Cold War, it was a string of US radar bases, the DEW line (distant early warning) in Canada that kept us aware of the Soviet missile actions. In World War II and every war since, Canadian troops have fought, as Prime Minister Trudeau stated, “…shoulder to shoulder” with US troops. They have been our truest ally. But now they’re not.
This isn’t really about national security; it’s about leverage. Secretary Ross is in negotiations with Canada and Mexico over NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement.) President Trump spent his campaign railing against NAFTA (at least in part because it was negotiated by his opponent’s husband) and is set on making dramatic changes. Canada and Mexico were willing to come to the table, but aren’t moving as quickly as Ross wants.
And the President claims that the US steel industry will have a rebirth, much like the coal industry. It was a campaign promise, as unlikely as it is to occur.
So it’s about money and politics, not security.
The consequences are serious. First we are in the process of alienating one of our firmest allies. We have completely changed the rules of our relationship, without notice or seeming cause. It has already strained our relationship, and real damage is not far away.
Second the costs of tariffs aren’t borne by the producers, but by the consumers. In real terms, “We the People, of the United States,” will pay the cost of these tariffs, through higher prices in construction and vehicles and beer cans and all the other products made with aluminum and steel.
And where is Congress? A clear majority of both the House and Senate are opposed to these tariffs. Will Congress take their Constitutional authority back? If they did, perhaps they might take a few more back as well, including their control of America going to war. But don’t hold your breath. We are more likely to go to war…with Canada.
