Business groups are hailing the Supreme Court’s decision to rein in a major swath of President Trump’s tariff agenda, saying the ruling will usher in much-needed certainty for small firms that saw their costs rise.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said businesses that paid tariff money to customs officials should be made whole, given the justices’ decision to strike down nation-by-nation tariffs in a 6-3 ruling.
“Over the past year, the Chamber has been working with small and midsize businesses around the country that have seen significant cost increases and supply chain disruptions as a result of these tariffs,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Swift refunds of the impermissible tariffs will be meaningful for the more than 200,000 small business importers in this country and will help support stronger economic growth this year.”
Led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the high court said the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president the power to levy large, indefinite tariffs.
Mr. Trump relied on IEEPA to unilaterally impose the levies on countries around the world. Some nations scrambled to strike trade deals that would limit their exposure.
Yet business groups did not share Mr. Trump’s enthusiasm for the tariffs, saying U.S. firms had to bear the cost. They also said the ever-changing nature of the tariff framework made it difficult to make business decisions.
The National Retail Federation said the Supreme Court decision delivered “much-needed certainty for U.S. businesses and manufacturers, enabling global supply chains to operate without ambiguity.”
The Small Business Majority, a business coalition, said it was grateful for the limits on Mr. Trump’s authority.
“This decision is critically important because small businesses can do very little to avoid the rapidly rising costs of goods that result from tariffs,” Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer said. “In fact, sweeping tariffs have already forced many small firms to make difficult decisions, including limiting or even ceasing operations.”
Mr. Trump’s allies in Congress, however, called the ruling an outrage.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, Ohio Republican, said the ruling “handcuffs” the U.S. on trade, so Congress must get to work in codifying the tariffs.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, has pledged to block any attempt to codify the IEEPA authority.
“We’ve said from day one: a president cannot ignore Congress and unilaterally slap tariffs on Americans. That overreach failed,” Mr. Schumer said Friday. “Now Trump should end this reckless trade war for good and finally give families and small businesses the relief they deserve.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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