Senator Eric Lesser will speak on the topic of “The Power to Impose Tariffs: How Trump’s Steel Tariffs Are Affecting Western Mass” on Wednesday, November 14 from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Law School Common on the campus of Western New England University.
Under the Constitution, Congress has the “power of the purse," the sole authority "to lay and collect taxes, duties, Imposts and Excises.” However, Congress has been ceding its constitutional control over tariffs to the Executive Branch for decades. State Senator Lesser will discuss how we got here through a series of laws passed in the 1960s and ‘70s, and how President Trump’s tariffs are affecting businesses in western Massachusetts as well as manufacturers across the nation. Lesser will also discuss the increasing state and local role in the globalized economy, as states like Massachusetts pass local sourcing requirements on state contracts to boost in-state manufacturing.
Light refreshments will be served and the event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Professor Art Wolf at 413-782-1435 or arthur.wolf@law.wne.edu.
