Congress passed the Tariff of 1789, the Tariff of 1790, and an excise tax on whiskey to fund the government and, in the case of the tariffs, address the trade imbalance with Britain. To protect American shipping from Barbary pirates and other threats, he re-established the United States Navy with the Naval Act of 1794. The Constitution granted the president the power to veto legislation, but Washington was reluctant to encroach on legislative affairs,