Pence group lashes out at Trump tariffs ahead of ‘Liberation Day’ event: ‘Tax on American consumers’

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s policy advocacy organization came out against President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day,” arguing his tariff plans “are essentially a tax on American consumers and businesses.”

In a post on X on Wednesday, along with a letter to Congress, the group Advancing American Freedom (AAF) stated the tariffs “are essentially a tax on American consumers and businesses.” This marks one of the rare occasions when the group, founded in 2021 based on the principles of Trump’s first term, has opposed his policies.

“Congress has a constitutional responsibility to reclaim its authority over taxation,” AAF’s general counsel Marc Wheat wrote in the letter.

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Wheat said Congress could achieve this by passing Sen. Mike Lee’s Article One Act, which was introduced in 2023 under the Biden administration. The bill would require Congress to approve national emergency declarations declared by the president within 30 days as well as place other barriers around such orders.

“The Framers knew from experience the dangers of abuse of the taxing power,” Wheat wrote. 

Trump is expected to roll out his plan for reciprocal tariffs, which would impose higher taxes on countries that export goods to the U.S. on Wednesday afternoon, dubbing it “Liberation Day.”

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“April 2, 2025, will go down as one of the most important days in modern American history,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Tuesday’s White House press briefing. “Our country has been one of the most open economies in the world, and we have the consumer base, hands down – the best consumer base. But too many foreign countries have their markets closed to our exports. This is fundamentally unfair.” 

“The lack of reciprocity contributes to our large and persistent annual trade deficit that’s gutted our industries and hollowed out key workforces,” she continued. “But those days of America, beginning tomorrow, being ripped off, are over. American workers and businesses will be put first under President Trump, just as he promised on the campaign trail.” 

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The White House has been discreet about Trump’s planned tariff announcement, only explaining reciprocal tariffs will restore fairness to U.S. trading after decades of disproportionate trade deals with other countries.

“I think it’s going to be something that’s going to bring a lot of wealth back to our country, tremendous wealth back to our country, actually,” Trump told the media Monday. “And, other countries are understanding, because they’ve been ripping us for 50 years, longer.” 

Trump and his administration said the tariff plan will boost business in the U.S. by encouraging companies to establish operations on American soil to bypass the tariffs, thereby creating job opportunities for American workers.

In February, Trump signed executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on most goods imported from Canada and Mexico – citing national security concerns related to drug trafficking and illegal immigration – with Canadian oil and energy exports facing a 10% tariff. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.