With One Week Until Trade Deadline, Reps Min, Sánchez Lead Letter Demanding Transparency in Trump’s Trade Deals

Washington, D.C. — With one week until the end of Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on “reciprocal” tariffs, Representatives Dave Min (CA-47) and Linda Sánchez (CA-38), the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, led 14 members of Congress in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer demanding transparency with the ongoing trade negotiations and any potential conflicts of interest that may compromise the economic and strategic interests of the United States 

The Representatives wrote, “We write to express our grave concerns about the potential misuse of U.S. trade policy to benefit President Donald Trump and his own financial interests over those of the United States and the American people. One week remains until the Trump Administration’s deadline for trade negotiations is reached, yet the “many, many deals” that President Trump promised after his reciprocal tariffs have not come to fruition. Instead, reports suggest that the President is aggressively expanding his business enterprise, securing billions of dollars in new investments through the Trump Organization while simultaneously pressuring countries to negotiate on tariffs. As trade discussions stall, transparency is urgently needed to ensure potential conflicts of interest are not compromising the economic and strategic interests of our country.” 

They continued, writing, “This dynamic has created an ongoing recipe for corruption in which President Trump personally stands to benefit from lavish gifts, business deals, and favors being showered upon him and his inner circle in exchange for tariff relief. While we remain concerned that this trade strategy imposes immense uncertainty on businesses, workers, and consumers, including many that we represent, we have growing worries that it may also violate federal ethics laws—including the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause.”

The Representatives concluded, “There is no compelling rationale for keeping the details of trade negotiations—or the President’s potential conflicts of interest—secret and the American public in the dark. As former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once famously observed, sunlight is the best disinfectant. The American people deserve transparency and oversight.” 

Despite federal courts finding the President’s tariffs to be unlawful, the administration is increasing pressure on countries to negotiate ahead of a self-imposed deadline in July and asserting that “many, many deals [are] coming.” These developments are all the more alarming in light of the President’s abuse of congressional trade authority, allowing him to unlawfully rewrite trade agreements with countries where he has business ties. Reports have already shown that trade discussions are being used to coerce countries into making a range of unrelated concessions, including those that benefit President Trump's inner circle.

“When determining trade policy, the president should be motivated by the American public's best interests, not lining his own pockets,” said Debra Perlin, Vice President for Policy at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). “Against the backdrop of President Trump’s unprecedented foreign business entanglements, this administration's broad tariffs–issued without consultation of Congress–present a recipe for corruption. CREW commends Representative Min and Sanchez’s efforts to exercise oversight of this matter, and strongly urges the executive branch to respond with more transparency.”

The full letter is available here. Representatives Hank Johnson (GA-04), Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Beyer (VA-08), Salinas (OR-06), Fields (LA-06), Huffman (CA-02), Cisneros (CA-31), Green (TX-09), Lynch (MA-08), Summer Lee (PA-12), Thanedar (MI-13), Garamendi (CA-08), Casar (TX-35), and Omar (MN-05) co-signed the letter.

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