Wyden Writes to USTR Demanding Congress Approve Binding Trade Deals

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on July 2, 2025, asserting that any binding trade deal must come before Congress for approval as required by the Constitution. Wyden cited Article I, which vests the power to regulate foreign commerce in Congress, and noted that bipartisan legislation passed unanimously in the prior Congress had affirmed that the president lacks authority to enter binding trade agreements without congressional approval. The letter came as Trump was in active bilateral negotiations with multiple countries following the Liberation Day tariff framework, with the UK deal already announced and additional deals under discussion.