H.R. 1903 — Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2025

This section revises Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (i.e., the statutory authority allowing the President to adjust imports, such as through tariffs or quotas, upon a determination that they threaten national security) as follows: (1) Limits application to "covered articles" (defined as articles related to the development, maintenance, or protection of military equipment, energy resources, or critical infrastructure essential to national security, replacing prior references to "any article") and redefines "national security" to mean only protection of the United States from foreign aggression (excluding protection of the general welfare); (2) Transfers primary responsibility for initiating and conducting national security investigations from the Secretary of Commerce to the Secretary of Defense (with notice to the Secretary of Commerce; consultations swapped; Secretary of Commerce providing import quantity and circumstance assessments to the Secretary of Defense upon request; and the two secretaries jointly submitting a report with findings and recommendations to the President within 270 days, unchanged); (3) Requires the President, within 90 days (from 50 days) of receiving the joint report and upon concurring in a finding of threat, to submit to Congress a proposal for adjusting imports of the covered article and derivatives (striking prior presidential discretion to act directly and prior consultation/reporting requirements); and (4) Conditions implementation of any such presidential action on enactment of a joint resolution of approval by Congress within 60 calendar days of the President's report submission (adding this new requirement).