It looks like you’re referencing a phrase tied to recent discussions about Congress’s authority versus its willingness to act, especially in the context of President Trump’s aggressive tariff policies announced this week. The search results point to a CNBC article from April 4, 2025, titled “Trump tariffs: Congress has power, but question of will,” which fits perfectly with your prompt and the current date (April 5, 2025). Let’s dive into that angle—assuming this is what you’re after—and explore Congress’s constitutional muscle and its hesitation to flex it.

Congress Has Power, But Question of Will: Trump’s Tariffs Test Legislative Resolve

Washington, D.C., April 5, 2025 – As President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff regime—unveiled Wednesday, April 2—sends shockwaves through global markets, crashing the S&P 500 by 4.8% Thursday and prompting China’s 34% counter-duties, a glaring question looms: Congress has the constitutional power to rein in this trade war, but does it have the political spine to do so? Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution hands Congress the reins to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises” and “regulate Commerce with foreign Nations,” yet lawmakers appear paralyzed as Trump wields delegated authority to reshape the economic landscape.

The Power on Paper

Congress’s dominion over trade is unambiguous. The Founding Fathers, wary of unchecked executive power, vested tariff and commerce authority squarely with the legislative branch—a point hammered home during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. “The people ought to hold the purse-strings,” Massachusetts’ Elbridge Gerry argued, a maxim enshrined in the House’s origination clause for revenue bills. Over time, though, Congress has ceded ground, passing laws like the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977, which let presidents tweak tariffs under national security or emergency pretexts. Courts have largely upheld this delegation, giving Trump legal footing to slap a 10% blanket duty on nearly every country, with 24% on Japan, 46% on Vietnam, and 54% on China, per his April 2 “Liberation Day” decree.

“Congress has the tools,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told CNBC Thursday, pointing to a bipartisan Senate bill—the Trade Review Act of 2025—introduced that day with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). The bill demands 48-hour notice from the president before new tariffs and gives Congress 60 days to approve or nix them—a bid to “reassert our constitutional role,” Grassley said. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has the votes to block it, though, calling it “a ploy not going anywhere” in a Friday Fox News hit, aligning with Trump’s claim that tariffs are his to wield.

The Will in Question

So why the hesitation? History offers clues. After the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act tanked the economy in the 1930s, Congress handed presidents leeway to negotiate trade, finding its own process “unwieldy,” per National Constitution Center’s Scott Bomboy. Today’s gridlock amplifies that inertia. Republicans, holding a slim 218-215 House edge and a Senate majority, face internal rifts—some back Trump’s “America First” gamble, others fret over recession risks as stocks bleed. Democrats, led by figures like Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), decry “illegal seizures of power” but lack the numbers to override a veto, needing two-thirds in both chambers.

“It’s a question of will,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told NPR Friday, urging a united front to claw back authority. Yet, Trump’s base cheers the tariffs—54% on China as a “negotiation hammer,” he boasted Thursday on Truth Social—making GOP defections dicey. “He’s turned stability into flashing red lights,” Cantwell warned CNBC, but Johnson’s loyalty and a filibuster-prone Senate (60 votes needed) stall action. X posts reflect the divide: “Congress could stop this tariff mess but won’t—spineless,” one user vented, while another cheered, “Trump’s doing what Congress won’t—winning!”

Courts or Bust?

With Congress wavering, courts loom as a wildcard. A Florida lawsuit filed Thursday by the New Civil Liberties Alliance challenges Trump’s IEEPA use as unconstitutional, arguing it’s not for “tariffs on the American people.” Judicial precedent leans broad—upholding Bush and Obama tariff moves—but a rogue ruling could force Congress’s hand. “The legal path might outpace us,” Grassley admitted, nodding to past deference.

For now, Congress’s power sits idle as Trump rolls the dice—markets reeling, Nintendo delaying Switch 2 preorders, and Nigeria’s vaccine fight a world away. The question isn’t can they act, but will they? As Friday’s protests over education cuts echo, the answer feels like a long shot in a polarized Capitol.

If this isn’t the angle you wanted—say, you meant a different context for “dice and desperate” or a specific event—toss me more details, and I’ll pivot fast! What’s your next play?