Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks at a press conference with other members of the Senate Democratic leadership after a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on January 28, 2026, in Washington, DC.
Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty Images
Congressional Democrats rejoiced Friday after a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down most of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, but Republicans remained divided.
“President Trump’s chaotic and illegal tariffs have made life more expensive and our economy more unstable. Families have paid more in taxes. Small businesses and farmers have been squeezed. Markets have fluctuated wildly,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement after the decision. “From day one, we have said the president cannot ignore Congress and unilaterally impose tariffs on Americans. That overreach has failed.”
The ruling was a major blow to President Trump, who had used a novel interpretation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on America’s trading partners. Tariffs and the broader economy will be key messaging issues for Democrats on the campaign trail in this year’s midterm elections. Primary elections begin next month, leading to the general election in November.
The Supreme Court’s ruling sets up the possibility of further conflict in Congress over how to handle President Trump’s trade war, after the U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to repeal tariffs on Canada.
For Republicans, President Trump’s tariffs are a more complicated issue, having proven largely unpopular in a critical election year.
“SCOTUS’ outrageous ruling handcuffs the fight against unfair trade that has plagued American workers for decades. These tariffs protect jobs, revive manufacturing, and force fraudsters like China to pay reparations,” Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) posted on X.
“This betrayal must be reversed, and Republicans must immediately begin work on a reconciliation bill to codify the tariffs that have made us the hottest country on earth,” Moreno continued.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who voted Democratic against President Trump’s tariffs, celebrated the decision. He and other trade policy opponents argue that Congress, not the president, has the constitutional authority to enact taxes and tariffs.
“In defense of the republic, the Supreme Court ruled using emergency powers to enact taxes. This ruling would also prevent future presidents like AOC from using emergency powers to enact socialism,” Paul posted.
The court’s decision came more than a week after a small group of House Republicans joined with most Democrats to overturn President Trump’s 35% tariffs on Canada, but the resolution was largely symbolic because it would need Senate and White House approval to take effect.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), one of the six Republicans who voted to repeal the tariffs, called the decision “a common sense, straightforward decision by the Supreme Court.”
“The Constitution’s checks and balances are still in place. Article I gives Congress the power to set tariffs,” Bacon wrote of X. “In the future, Congress should protect its own authority and not rely on the Supreme Court.”
Some Democrats have suggested Trump would seek other mechanisms to impose tariffs, while some Republicans say he should.
“Good news today: The Supreme Court has struck down many of President Trump’s tariffs. Sadly, this president is committed to making people pay these taxes. He will try other ways to keep them in place,” Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, said in a post on X. “I will continue to vote in the Senate to stop President Trump’s reckless tariffs.”
In the House, Rep. Stephen Horsford, Democrat of Nevada, touted a bill called the Relief Act that would trigger tariff refunds for small businesses.
“These taxes stole money from working families and small businesses who were forced to pay them in the first place. Now is the time to start repairing the economic damage these Trump taxes have caused,” Horsford posted on X.
The bill is symbolic because its success would require significant Republican support in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. Many Trump supporters also suggested that the Supreme Court’s decision was not the end of the president’s tariff policies.
