Trump addresses press after Supreme Court strikes down his sweeping tariffs
The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda.
The 6-3 decision centers on the tariffs Trump unilaterally imposed under an emergency powers law, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs levied on nearly every other country.
It’s the first major piece of Trump’s broad agenda to come squarely before the nation’s highest court, which he helped shape with the appointments of three conservative jurists in his first term.
The majority found that the Constitution “very clearly” gives Congress the power to impose taxes, which include tariffs. “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.
“The tariffs at issue here may or may not be wise policy. But as a matter of text, history, and precedent, they are clearly lawful,” Kavanaugh wrote in the dissent.
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Democratic senator calls on Trump administration for tariff refund plan Friday’s Supreme Court decision did not address whether businesses could get refunded for the billions they have collectively paid in IEEPA tariffs imposed by Trump. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state, is asking Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for a plan.
“Many American businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses, have struggled to pay these illegal tariffs and, for some, the financial strain has placed them on the brink of bankruptcy,” Cantwell wrote in a letter published Friday addressed to Bessent. “It is essential Treasury implement an expeditious and transparent process to remediate the financial harm that resulted from these illegal tariffs.”
Trump to speak about tariff ruling White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media that the president would hold a news conference about the ruling at 12:45 p.m.
United Steelworkers union urges Congress to revamp the US trade system The United Steelworkers, the labor union whose members work at U.S. Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs plants, urged Congress to revamp the U.S. trade system by using tariffs “strategically.”
It said tariffs should be used to protect American workers, not to punish allies like Canada. It also called on Congress to restore funding to programs to help American workers who lose their jobs because of unfair foreign trade.
“It’s an excess of short-term thinking and free trade ideology that got us into this mess. Now, we need sustainable solutions,” the union said in a statement.
The U.S. steel industry has enjoyed a period of expansion under tariffs adopted by the Biden and Trump administrations, analysts say.
Behind the case is a nonprofit that typically allies with conservative causes. The Liberty Justice Center, which represented the businesses challenging Trump’s tariffs, is a libertarian-leaning public interest law firm with about $3 million on hand. Sara Albrecht, the group’s chairman, pledged to help small businesses navigate the refund process in a statement posted on X.
“The Liberty Justice Center’s work is just beginning,” she said.
The Supreme Court previously sided with the Liberty Justice Center in 2018 when the justices ruled that public-sector unions could not require non-member employees to pay collective bargaining fees. The group has also challenged “critical race theory” teachings in school districts and defended state school choice initiatives.
Among its donors are the Walton Family Foundation, the Republican Governors Public Policy Committee and the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund. Other funders include the Club for Growth, an influential anti-tax group, and the State Policy Network, a conservative nonprofit coalition linked to Charles and David Koch.
Major technology trade groups hail the Supreme Court decision They predicted the decision will help minimize price increases and disruptions in the intricate supply chains for the computers, smartphones, televisions and other gadgets ingrained in modern life.
“Innovation thrives on predictability, and this common-sense decision brings much-needed clarity for American businesses and consumers,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which represents more than 2,000 companies. “Now, the government must act quickly to refund retailers and importers without red tape or delay.”
The Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents a spectrum of technology companies employing more than 1.6 million people, also expressed hope that the decision will ease the trade tensions that have been tormenting tech.
“This Supreme Court decision caps a year of turbulence in trade policy that we are all working to adapt to. With this decision behind us, we look forward to bringing more stability to trade policy,” said Jonathan McHale, the Computer & Communications Industry Association’s vice president for digital trade.
Tariff elimination on distilled spirits could provide needed certainty for American spirits exporters Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council urged the Trump administration to use the Supreme Court ruling as an opportunity to return to “zero-for-zero tariffs” on spirits products with major trading partners including the United Kingdom and European Union.
“The elimination of tariffs on distilled spirits would provide much needed certainty for American spirits exporters while helping ease financial pressures on bars, restaurants and retailers at a time when affordability remains a major concern for consumers.”
Soybean farmers hope Trump will refrain from imposing new tariffs on the things they need Soybean farmers hope that they might get some relief from rising costs as a result of Friday’s ruling. The price of fertilizer, seeds, pesticides and tractors and parts have been steadily increasing starting even before Trump’s tariffs.
American Soybean Association President Scott Metzger, who farms in Ohio, said farmers hope Congress and the administration will work to open additional markets for their crops.
“Moving forward, certainty and dependable market access are essential for U.S. soy to remain competitive globally. Because farmers are caught in a cost-price squeeze and ag input costs remain high, we urge the President to refrain from imposing tariffs on agricultural inputs using other authorities,” Metzger said.
Many Americans felt Trump had overstepped on tariffs: poll About 6 in 10 Americans said Trump had “gone too far” on imposing new tariffs on other countries, according to an AP-NORC poll from January .
About 9 in 10 Democrats and roughly 6 in 10 independents said Trump had overstepped, compared to 25% of Republicans.
The tariffs have been unpopular for much of Trump’s first year back in office. Roughly half of U.S. adults said they were opposed to imposing tariffs on all goods brought into the U.S. in an AP-NORC poll from last April. Only about 3 in 10 favored them, and roughly 2 in 10 were neutral.
Possibly more worrisome for a president elected on the promise of fixing Americans’ affordability concerns, 76% in the April poll thought Trump’s tariff policies would increase the cost of U.S. consumer goods.
Which of Trump’s tariffs are being struck down by the Supreme Court? Friday’s decision upends a core set of tariffs that Trump imposed using the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. That includes the “Liberation Day” tariffs the president slapped on nearly every country in the world last spring — as well as and other IEEPA-based levies he imposed on Canada, Mexico and China. Trump also cited IEEPA to impose additional tariffs on Brazil over the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, and on India over its purchases of Russian oil.
Despite Friday’s ruling, other sweeping levies remain in place. Trump used another law — Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act — to slap sectoral tariffs on steel and aluminum , cars , copper, lumber and products like kitchen cabinets worldwide. And the president has plenty of other options to keep taxing imports aggressively.
Trump still has other tariff options to tax imports President Trump still has options to keep taxing imports aggressively even after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs he imposed last year on nearly every country on earth.
The Justices didn’t buy the president’s sweeping claims of authority to impose tariffs as he sees fit. But Trump can re-use tariff powers he deployed in his first term and can reach for others, including one that dates back to the Great Depression.
“It’s hard to see any pathway here where tariffs end,” said Georgetown trade law professor Kathleen Claussen. “I am pretty convinced he could rebuild the tariff landscape he has now using other authorities.”
