What to Know About Trump’s Proposed ‘External Revenue Service’
TimeJAN 21
Trump Says He'll Create 'External Revenue Service' for Tariff Income
Above: US Pres.-elect Donald Trump at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Image copyright: Valerie Plesch/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
Americans have long suffered as a result of the country's weak trade agreements with other countries, resulting in American wealth being shipped off abroad. The creation of this new agency, alongside the imposition of a new tariff regime, will set these problems straight and make America great again.
Democratic narrative
Trump has already been widely ridiculed for these half-baked plans. Not only does he not seem to know that another government agency is responsible for collecting tariff income, but that he doesn't have the power to create a new agency in the first place.