Trump's Tariff Case on the Agenda at the U.S. Supreme Court

Tariff Case Reviewed by the US Supreme Court

Representing the Donald Trump administration, John Sauer and Neal Katyal, who represents the companies challenging the tariffs, along with Oregon Attorney General Benjamin Gutman, conducted an important hearing at the Supreme Court. The hearing lasted over 2.5 hours, far exceeding the planned 80 minutes.

Trump's Tariffs and Economic Impacts

Beginning his remarks, John Sauer stated that the tariffs imposed under Trump's International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) helped facilitate negotiations of trillion-dollar agreements with America's principal trading partners like China. Sauer emphasized that Trump exercised his "authority to regulate foreign trade," not his "authority to impose taxes," and stated, "These are regulatory tariffs, not revenue-generating."

Objections and Legal Perspectives

Attorney Neal Katyal, opposing the tariffs, argued that they constitute a type of tax, negatively impacting Americans' budgets. Katyal pointed out that the Founding Fathers granted Congress alone the authority to impose taxes, claiming that Trump usurped this power and applied "one of the largest tax increases seen."

Comments from the Oregon Attorney General

Oregon Attorney General Benjamin Gutman referenced examples from the 19th century regarding the president's authority to impose tariffs without Congressional approval even during wartime, arguing that this interpretation is no longer valid.

Background of the Tariff Case

Trump has used tariffs as a significant tool within his trade policy, implementing various customs duties under IEEPA when he was re-elected president this year. A total of 12 states and private companies opposing the tariffs had taken the matter to the US International Trade Court.

The court ruled on May 28 that the tariffs based on reciprocity exceeded presidential authority. The US government appealed this ruling, entering the appeals process.

The Supreme Court requested a swift review of the assessment that the Trump administration's tariffs were illegal.