On Wednesday, Sen. Doug Jones, D-AL, alongside a bevy of other Republican and Democratic senators, introduced the Trade Security Act, which would reform Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and “better align the statute with its original intent as a trade remedy tool for the president and Congress to respond to genuine threats to national security,” according to a press release from Jones’ office.

The bill makes “common-sense reforms” that would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to justify the national security basis for imposing new tariffs under Section 232 and increase congressional oversight of the process.

The companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives is being carried by Rep. Terri Sewell, D-AL, and a bipartisan team of other House lawmakers.

“When it comes to trade, our first priority should always be to protect American jobs and grow our own economy,” Jones said. “I agree we need to hold bad actors like China accountable for their actions, but we cannot do so at the expense of hard-working Americans who are the backbone of important industries like auto manufacturing. If a trading partner is suspected of threatening our national security, we need our top defense experts to investigate that claim and make an informed recommendation.”

Jones has previously been outspoken in his opposition to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump due to their harmful effects on the automotive and agricultural industries in Alabama.

“Congress must reassert its trade authority and take steps to protect our manufacturers and farmers from the Trump administration’s reckless and isolationist trade policy,” Sewell said in a press release from her office. “Alabama is home to auto manufacturers like Hyundai and Mercedes that employ nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women. The auto industry strengthens America; it doesn’t threaten it. I will continue to fight against the Trump administration’s misguided policies that threaten auto workers in Alabama.”

Trump has imposed a number of tariffs on automotive parts and imports and has threatened more, claiming that the imports could pose a national security threat.

Both Jones and Sewell reject that claim.

The new bipartisan legislation would make it more difficult for the president to unilaterally raise tariffs under the guise that certain imports pose a threat to national security.

The legislation would require an investigation phase led by the DOJ and a “remedy phase” led by the Department of Commerce (DOC) and require the DOJ, rather than the DOC, to justify the need for new tariffs.

Further, the bill would require consultation with Congress and allow for legislators to disapprove of the action by passing a joint resolution.