Supreme Court hears arguments on Trump’s sweeping tariffs
Rep. Richie Neal, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is in attendance at the high court this morning.
Neal, who helped to pass the USMCA trade agreement into law in the first Trump administration, led a group of congressional Democrats in filing an amicus brief arguing that the president does not have the authority to implement tariffs under the IEEPA without congressional approval.
“Presidents don’t get to decide these questions arbitrarily,” Neal told NBC News during a walk from his office to the Supreme Court. “There has to be a review by the constitutional authority, in this instance, in Congress and the Ways and Means Committee in particular … are responsible for all tax measures.”
Neal believes congressional Republicans have ceded too much of their authority to the White House when it comes to trade policy more broadly. He hopes that the Supreme Court fixes the balance of power.
“This should not be based upon the personalities that are involved. This should be based upon the law. We believe, with great evidence, that the decision that is rendered here ought to be one that supports the constitutional responsibility of the Congress of the United States,” said Neal.
Neal said his constituents are hurting because of Trump’s tariffs.
“All you have to do is go to the checkout counter of a grocery store to see what’s happened. Prices are up everywhere,” he said. “Labor markets are softening. Clearly, employers are stepping back from hiring, and at the same time, people are paying a lot more for everything because of these tariff policies.”
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