Source: The Bulwark
by Ilya Somin
“Blocking the executive from usurping the power of taxation was a major concern of the Framers of the Constitution, who recalled the ‘Ship Money’ abuses of King Charles I, which helped precipitate the English Civil War. Like King Charles, Trump is abusing emergency and national security powers to try to impose massive taxes unauthorized by the legislature, except that in the case of Trump’s export taxes, the written Constitution explicitly forbids his taxes. In that respect, Trump is even more abusive than King Charles was. … For the moment, however, it looks like Trump is likely to get away with this export tax power grab.” (08/15/25)