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The Supreme Court spent Wednesday questioning whether Trump had the legal power to place sweeping tariffs on imports from most of the world without Congress signing off. Both conservative and liberal justices pushed hard on the government’s lawyer, pressing on where the president’s authority ends and where Congress’s authority begins. Businesses affected by these tariffs are also speaking out. One of the plaintiffs in the SCOTUS suit, Victor Owen Schwartz, reportedly told CNBC, “For nearly 40 years, my family has built this business from the ground up, but today, Trump’s reckless tariffs threaten everything we’ve achieved. Let’s be clear: these tariffs aren’t paid by foreign governments or companies. It’s American businesses like mine, and American consumers, that are footing the bill.” Victor continued, “Unlike past tariffs set by Congress that we could plan around, these new tariffs are arbitrary. They’re unpredictable. And they’re bad business.” Lower federal courts already ruled that the administration did not have the legal basis to do this. Those courts said Trump had no authority under IEEPA to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on imports from many U.S. trading partners or the “fentanyl tariffs” aimed at products from Canada, China, and Mexico. The administration appealed the ruling, arguing that the tariffs were not taxes, but tools to manage foreign trade. This case now sits in front of the highest court, where the stakes are huge for trade, executive power, and how future presidents could use emergency laws. Justices press government lawyer over Trump’s authority to impose tariffs Solicitor General D. John Sauer defended the tariffs, saying, “These are regulatory tariffs. They are not revenue-raising tariffs.” He claimed any revenue was “only incidental.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor pushed back fast, saying, “You say tariffs are not taxes, but that’s exactly what they are. They’re generating money from American citizens, revenue.”…

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Filed under: News - @ November 5, 2025 9:33 pm