So Trump did it, that thing he was counseled against.

He signed a tariff bill that will put bigger tariffs on steel and aluminum than that of Smoot-Hawley, that only enacted 20 percent tariffs and exacerbated the depression that the nation was buckling under.

Will we get to 25 percent unemployment because of Trump’s tariff idiocy?

I doubt it. At least, I certainly hope not, but we’ll definitely feel pain, unless members of Congress wake up out of their stupor and do something to stop this thing that they all know is going to be bad for us.

If they fail to act, they are as complicit as Trump.

Utah Senator Mike Lee introduced a bill in June, and has recently revived talk of the bill, in light of Trump’s tariff talk.

With Senator Lee’s bill, issues of trade, including tariffs, would go back to the hands of Congress and strip the president of unilateral power to crap on our economy.

I released the following statement today after President Trump signed an order imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum pic.twitter.com/VReNhdFpK9

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) March 8, 2018

Arizona Senator Jeff Flake introduced a bill immediately after Trump announced his tariff plan that would nullify them.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said simply that he disagreed with the tariffs and the unintended consequences.

Speaking out a bit more firmly was Senator Ben Sasse, who issued a statement that used words like “painful” and “stupid” to describe Trump’s actions.

He’s not wrong.

Ben Sasse responds to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs: “We’re on the verge of a painful and stupid trade war” pic.twitter.com/dHyPhxe09G

— Haley Byrd (@byrdinator) March 8, 2018

And this is the most perfect and succinct summary of what Trump is doing: Bad policy is still bad policy.

Nationalism, protectionalism, and the resulting “us versus them” xenophobia have never been enough to maintain a good and prosperous nation. Rather, the exact opposite is achieved.

That’s what we elect our lawmakers to do – protect us from would-be despots, and unscrupulous men.

This would be one of those moments.