Tariff talk vs. tariff walk among Utah's members of Congress

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In private, Utah's members of Congress have spines of steel when talking about pushing back against President Donald Trump’s policies that could negatively impact the Beehive State. In public, however, they act more like bendy straws.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a group of Utah business leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., in April to meet with the state's congressional delegation. According to The Journal, staffers for Sen. John Curtis assured them that Curtis understood how the president’s tariffs were hitting Utah.

A few days later, Curtis himself said he planned to support a bipartisan resolution to rein in Trump's tariffs if there was a chance it could pass Congress. That same afternoon, he voted against it. His switch helped sink the effort; the measure failed, 49–49.

The journal reports Curtis changed course after pressure from Senate Republican leadership and a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jameison Greer.

Curtis wasn’t the only Utahn who, per The Journal, talked about pushing back in private but backed down in public.

When those business leaders met with Rep. Celeste Maloy, she reportedly said she was praying daily that the turmoil from Trump’s tariffs would subside.

Maloy’s office disputes that, saying she told them she was praying the president’s trade strategy would succeed.

Rep. Blake Moore, who is a member of the leadership team for House Republicans, told them he would consider sponsoring a measure to give Congress oversight over tariffs.

That now appears unlikely. A Moore spokesperson says he plans instead to work with the Trump administration to reduce the impact of the tariffs on Utah businesses.

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