It may appear to some that the U.S. Congress is ceding its constitutional power over tariffs to President Trump.

This week, Republicans in the U.S. House adopted a measure that blocks challenges to Trump's global tariff decisions through March, 2026.

Yet when Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nv., was asked on Nevada Newsmakers why Congress is relinquishing tariff powers to Trump, she bristled:

"We're not," she told host Sam Shad.

Others on Capitol Hill -- besides Republican U.S. representatives who vote in lockstep with the Trump administration -- are fighting to regain control over the issues of tariffs, she said.

"There are court cases right now challenging this," Cortez Masto said. "What people need to understand is this (Trump) administration doesn't follow the law, so they're doing whatever they want. And the challenge is before the courts to challenge them. And that's happening right now."

This week, the Congressional Budget Office said that the blanket tariffs of the Trump administration appear of have pushed inflation higher than initially expected. Also, the tariffs are expected to cause an overall net loss of jobs in the U.S, according to multiple economic analyses completed in 2025.

Some Wall Street analysis, however, said they have yet to see price hikes from tariffs, even though they are bracing for possible increases later, according to CNBC.

"You can see the harm," Cortez Masto said. "This is why Congress has to be involved with this. This administration is doing these blanket tariffs and
it is harming our economy in the United States and our businesses."

Cortez Masto, Nevada's senior U.S. Senator who has been in office since 2017, called the blanket tariffs of the Trump administration, "a tax on the American public."

"I don't like that," she continued. "I think we should be fighting for those hard working families to keep more money in their pockets and not take it away from them."

Shad asked Cortez Masto about Trump's assertion that the tariffs have brought billions of dollars into the U.S. Treasury.

He noted that Walmart as spoken favorably about the tariffs.

Walmart absorbed a significant portion of the tariff costs to avoid major price hikes, according to news reports.

However, Walmart is now experiencing cost increases as its inventory turns over at post-tariff price levels, according to reports.

"Let me just say nobody's happy with the tariffs," Cortez Masto said. "You've got to remember those companies are paying the price for it. When the administration does the tariffs, those foreign countries are not paying more. We are paying more."

For the most part, U.S. companies pay the tariffs and pass the costs to U.S. consumers. In essence, U.S. consumers and taxpayers are responsible for the increased revenues of the U.S. Treasury, Cortez Masto contends.

"The revenue that's being generated by those tariffs are revenues
generated by American companies, and quite often those American companies pass those costs down to consumers," Cortez Masto said.

"That's why it's a tax on Americans. So keep that in mind," she added.

Impact on Nevada small businesses: Many Nevada small business also have issues with Trump's tariffs, Cortez Masto said.

"I've been all over Nevada, talking to some of our small businesses right now," she said. "The blanket tariffs that have been imposed have increased cost to our small businesses. And many of our small businesses are concerned whether or not they can even keep their doors open."

Cortez Masto singled out Nevada's niche coffee import businesses as  Nevadans who are being hurt by the tariffs.

"Perfect example is we have a lot of niche coffee companies -- little companies -- around the state of Nevada," Cortez Masto said. "And I've been to several of them. They're challenged right now to get their coffee. Most of the coffee comes from out of the country, some of it Hawaii, but not all of it. And so their costs have gone up.

"Now, what happens when a company's costs go up? Do they eat it and lose their profit margin, or do they pass that down to the consumers? Most often they will pass it to the consumers to pay higher prices," Cortez Masto said.

The Trump administration's stance on blanket tariffs perplexes Cortez Masto.

"I don't understand, this (second Trump) administration, she said. "In the
first Trump administration, we negotiated with Canada and Mexico for the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement which substituted the North America Free Trade Agreement).

"We negotiated tariffs amongst what we're going to do in the United States, what they (Mexico and Canada) were going to do, trying to figure out how it makes sense for all of us to really address how we grow our economy.

"When it came into this one (2nd Trump administration), they completely ignored that agreement that they entered into," Cortez Masto said.

"So how does another country trust us to enter into an agreement on tariffs with them?" she asked. "If the Congress is taken out of that equation by this administration, illegally because of whim, without any rhyme or reason, it is not good policy."

Endorsing Aaron Ford for governor. Cortez Masto has given her early endorsement to Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, as he prepares to run in the 2026 gubernatorial race. Cortez Masto made her early endorsement even though another Democrat, Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, is also in the race.

"I have held that role, as you know, as a former attorney general. And I have watched him, not only in his role in the (state) Senate and his leadership in the Senate, but for what he has done as attorney general," Cortez Masto said, referencing Ford's six years in the state senate, serving as majority leader and minority leader.

"He has fought for Nevadans. He has fought Big Pharma, fighting for our families. And I think he will do a great job as our next governor," she said.