In February of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration were unconstitutional.
Within days, President Trump announced there would immediately be a new round of tariffs.
Now, the United States Court of International Trade has ruled that the tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 were unauthorized by law.
“This is a significant win for taxpayers, consumers frustrated by inflated prices, and the division of powers established in the U.S. Constitution. The ability to impose taxes and tariffs is a power of the Congress, not the president,” said Bryan Riley Director of the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) Free Trade Initiative.
The Section 122 tariffs were proclaimed on February 20, immediately after the United States Supreme Court rejected tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Besides the legality there is also the higher cost to consumers many are pointing.
Besides NTU, another group, “We Pay the Tariffs,” calculates that the new tariffs imposed after the Supreme Court decisions cost consumers around $8.3 billion in March alone.
Bryan Riley from NTU says the latest round of tariff increases by the Trump administration will continue to burden Americans.
“Tariffs are undermining the Trump Administration’s affordability agenda. Rather than continuing to impose duties based on dubious interpretations of the law, NTU urges the Administration to recalibrate its approach and to pursue a trade policy based on reciprocal, zero-tariff trade,” Riley said.
