Democratic lawmakers are rejoicing after the supreme court ruled that Donald Trump overstepped his authority by imposing steep tariffs on global imports, toppling one of the president’s most aggressive assertions of executive power.
The 6-3 ruling found that a 1977 emergency powers law did not provide legal justification for most of the administration’s sweeping tariffs, a ruling the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, framed as a win for “American consumers” and an example of how Trump’s “overreach failed”.
“We’ve said from day one: a president cannot ignore Congress and unilaterally slap tariffs on Americans,” he said. “Now Trump should end this reckless trade war for good and finally give families and small businesses the relief they deserve.”
The House Democratic whip, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, called it: “A win for the American people.
“Trump’s tariffs are an illegal tax on working families – hiking costs on everything from groceries to utility bills,” she wrote on social media. “Democrats will keep fighting to make your life more affordable.”
Trump, meanwhile, was unrepentant. Speaking during a White House breakfast with governors on Friday morning, the president reportedly called the ruling a “disgrace” and told those gathered that he had a backup plan, though he offered no details.
The decision, which comes out of a rightwing supermajority court, rests on a foundational constitutional question: who controls the power to tax? Tariffs typically require congressional approval, but Trump had argued he could bypass that requirement using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) which grants presidents authority to regulate international transactions during declared national emergencies.
The court’s majority disagreed, with Chief Justice John Roberts saying from the bench that “the vehicle is the imposition of taxes on Americans, and that has always been a core power of Congress”.
Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey expressed anger that the tariffs had existed in the first place. “Trump just cost you a lot of money on unpopular and illegal tariffs,” he saidadding that the ruling was “a step in righting these wrongs, but we have so much more to go”.
The Colorado representative Joe Neguse, whose congressional litigation taskforce had pursued the challenge from district courts all the way to the supreme court, and which focuses on curbing Trump’s executive actions, called it a vindication. “Our Litigation Task Force fought against President Trump’s unlawful and reckless tariffs every step of the way,” he said. “Today’s ruling is a victory for the American people.”
Pete Aguilar, the California representative who is a senior member of Democratic leadership, said the ruling affirmed what his party had argued for months. “This is a major victory for the American people who have been suffering from sky-high prices,” he said. “Democrats will keep fighting to lower costs and hold Trump accountable.”
The ruling also drew commentary from some Republicans. The Kentucky senator Rand Paul, a longtime critic of executive overreach, framed the ruling in broader ideological terms, saying it would prevent any future president (“such as AOC”) from using emergency powers to enact sweeping economic policy unilaterally “to enact socialism”.
The Virginia representative Morgan Griffith, another Republican, offered a conciliatory notesaying Congress could “work with President Trump on essential trade reforms to help the American people”.
The ruling also carried weight for Democrats representing economically exposed districts reliant on trade and tourism.
Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, whose southern district is dependent on cross-border trade, said the ruling reaffirmed that “Congress has the authority over tariffs and taxation”, adding that strong trade policy did not require “raising costs on everyday goods and materials.” The Nevada representative Susie Lee said the tariffs had taken “a wrecking ball to southern Nevada’s tourism economy”.
Still, Maggie Hassan, a Democratic senator of New Hampshire, noted the limits of the ruling’s reach. “While I’m thankful that the supreme court has overturned many of these illegal tariffs, this ruling cannot undo the damage they’ve already caused,” she said.
Representative Tom Suozzi of New York said the ruling carried a message beyond the immediate economic impact.
“It is a clear message that the president cannot act unilaterally and must negotiate and try and find common ground with the co-equal branch of government: the Congress.”
