Under aggressive questioning from Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that exempting tariffs on car seats, cribs, high chairs and other essential baby items "is under consideration."

In more than two hours of House appropriators' questions for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, trade was barely touched on.

Four Democratic senators brought small business owners to Congress for a press conference May 5 to condemn harm from President Donald Trump's tariffs and to announce legislation to create a tariff exemption for small businesses.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz told commerce deputy secretary nominee Paul Dabbar that, as "an experienced dealmaker," he hopes Dabbar will help to secure "freer and fairer trade with our allies, not across-the-board protectionism" -- and to also argue for that approach.

Ahead of a late afternoon vote to end the trade deficit emergency that the president used to impose 10% tariffs on all countries other than Canada and Mexico, and used to impose 125% tariffs on Chinese imports, resolution co-sponsor Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said all Democrats will be voting in favor of "rolling back Donald Trump's ability to use an emergency declaration to play 'Red Light, Green Light' with tariffs and wreck our economy. The question is, how many Republicans will join us?"

William Kimmitt, nominee for undersecretary of commerce for international trade, advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee on a party-line vote April 29.

The House Homeland Security Committee released its budget reconciliation recommendations, part of the process to extend Trump tax cuts and possibly, add new tax cuts. That committee, however, is adding spending, both for screening cargo and hiring CBP Office of Field Operations officers.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to answer questions about why he told Wall Street investors that the U.S. is looking to de-escalate the trade war with China, and asked him to confirm if other executives heard information about progress toward a trade deal with India.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked Apple CEO Tim Cook about his private lobbying on tariffs on Chinese imports, and the fact that the carveout for the tariffs for electronics affected phones, computers and smart watches, which Apple makes, but not video game consoles.

Forty-seven senators and representatives, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., expressed concern April 16 that the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariff policies negotiations could become a spoils system.