Taxation Without Representative!

Now where have we seen this before?

Hmm... something about a party or something in Boston? Back then it was a king who ordered the tariffs, now another king who is pushing the envelope by ordering tariffs without Congress's approval.

How much revenue does the federal government collect from tariffs?

USA Facts

$77.0 billion in FY 2024. This figure reflects revenue from tariffs and other import-related fees, also known as customs duties. Customs duties are taxes and fees paid by US importers and collected by US Customs and Border Protection on goods imported into the country, which generate revenue for the federal government.

• $165B Customs duties revenue in FY 2025 through August
• $77B   Customs duties revenue in FY 2024

And don't forget who paid the $165,000,000,000... you and I did, it is really nothing more or less than a sales tax.

Where does it go? Well now here is the tricky part. The Constitution says that Congress has the power of the purse strings but the thing is Congress has delegated the power over to the presidents... here is chunk of money spend it as you like. And guess where the tariff funds are going?

Trump says he'll use tariff revenue to bail out farmers

Hill Republicans and powerful agriculture lobbying groups have been pressuring the administration to deliver some kind of farm aid.

Politico

By Grace Yarrow and Meredith Lee Hill

09/25/2025

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will use tariff revenue to offer cash bailouts for farmers who are struggling with trade uncertainty and other economic headwinds.

“We’re going to take some of that tariff money that we made, we’re going to give it to our farmers, who are, for a little while, going to be hurt until the tariffs kick into their benefit,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “So we’re going to make sure that our farmers are in great shape, because we’re taking in a lot of money.

Trump officials expect that Congress will need to authorize the use of tariff revenue for the farm aid package and are hoping lawmakers will include it in their omnibus package due by Nov. 21, according to three people familiar with the talks. That means the rollout of cash will likely start in early 2026.

[...]

The president, as he conveyed publicly Thursday, likes the messaging of using direct tariff revenue for the farm aid package, rather than tapping other funds, according to two of the people familiar.

Hmm... I seem to remember Trump was going to use the tariff funds to pay down the national debt. Oh well, everyone knows that Trump lies. The farmers better keep their fingers crossed that Trump doesn't change his mind. The ultra conservative Heritage Foundation wrote back in 2020...

Congress Should Reject Efforts to Give Away Its Spending Power to Create a Massive USDA Slush Fund

Authors: Daren Bakst, David Ditch and Joshua Sewell

Two legislative proposals would use the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to give the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture even more spending discretion under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, allowing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to spend tens of billions of dollars more each year using this discretionary authority. These proposals would be yet another example of Congress inappropriately delegating its spending authority to a federal agency. If Congress wants to address COVID-19-related concerns, it should do so through temporary measures related directly to COVID-19. Congress should not use the pandemic as an excuse to make permanent policy changes, or to create what in effect would be a massive agricultural-subsidy slush fund subject to the whims of the Agriculture Secretary. This slush fund would be one of the worst abrogations of congressional spending power in recent memory.

Gee they foretold Trump! I wonder what they are saying now? Are they back peddling?