Before there was a limerick written in its honor or a viral sensation on Twitter, Axios on Sunday reported on an internal White House draft bill—titled the "United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act" (or the U.S. FART Act for short)—that would grant President Donald Trump enormous powers to dictate trade and tariff policy and essentially blow a hole in the rules that govern the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"The draft legislation is stunning," reported Axios' Jonathan Swan. "The bill essentially provides Trump a license to raise U.S. tariffs at will, without congressional consent and international rules be damned."
Though Swan made no mention of the bill's ridiculous acronym, it didn't take astute journalists like Splinter's Paul Blest and other online observers long to break the story:
BREAKING: Wind. #FartAct
— The Gaf (@thegaf) July 2, 2018
While the White House told Swan that the draft bill is nowhere near being rolled out, it was too late. The #FartAct has been born:
#FARTact- No joke 'It stinks': Twitter gets wind of oddly named Trump tariff bill draft https://t.co/8AseKNu58j
— Geo Steve (@StephenGlahn) July 2, 2018
The POTUS would like, for a start,
More power to rip trade apart,
Reported the press
Upon its success
In catching a draft of his FART.— Limericking (@Limericking) July 2, 2018
taking on the @WTO is actually a good thing (in principal)
“free trade” agreements that have been the norm, negotiated in total secrecy.. aren’t in the public good - NeoLiberalism
but who in the hell thought up the name #FARTact doesn’t White House have advisors?
— Mark (@WorldOfMarkyD) July 2, 2018
#FARTact- No joke 'It stinks': Twitter gets wind of oddly named Trump tariff bill draft https://t.co/8AseKNu58j
— Geo Steve (@StephenGlahn) July 2, 2018
Will the US FART Act impose tariffs on dutch ovens? #FARTAct
— R.J. Maratea (@rjmaratea) July 2, 2018
