Congress should be handling border security and tariff issues, but inaction on Capitol Hill is forcing President Trump to act, Mollie Hemingway said Friday.
Hemingway, senior editor of The Federalist, told "Special Report" the Constitution makes tariffs and border security Congress' purview but said lawmakers have not taken action. President Trump announced Thursday he will impose a five-percent tariff on Mexican imports beginning next month if the nation does not stop the flow of illegal immigrants across the U.S. border.
"It's very frustrating to not be able to compare a congressional plan with this presidential plan because there isn't something coming out of Congress," Hemingway said. "It seems like there is a lot of interest in keeping the status quo - whether it's the Mexican leadership or our own congressional leadership."
"Nobody seems to be coming up with anything, other than the president with this tariff plan, to deal with what is objectively a serious crisis."
Hemingway added claims the tariff plan is meant to distract from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's public comments about the Russia investigation are "absurd."
"First of all, it is absurd to think this is a shiny thing [meant] to take away from Robert Mueller," she claimed.
Trump said the tariff on Mexico beginning in early June, will gradually increase until the ongoing illegal immigration surge at the southern border is "remedied" and illegal migrants "STOP."
"On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP," Trump wrote. "The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, ... ..at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow."
Fox News is told the tariff on all goods by land, sea, and air from Mexico will rise to 10 percent on July 1 -- and potentially increase substantially from there.
Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report.
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