Flanked by business leaders and port officials, Senator Maria Cantwell decried the negative repercussions of Donald Trump’s illegally imposed tariffs at the Port of Seattle in April of 2025. (Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/NPI)
This morning, the United States Supreme Court dealt the Trump regime’s horrific tariffs scheme a big blow, holding that the law the regime had claimed gave it the authority to levy sweeping tariffs did no such thing. While a furious Donald Trump fumed and sputtered at the White House, Democrats across the country hailed the decision. Here’s a roundup of the statements that we’ve received in our organizational inbox.
From Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who will deliver the Democratic response to Trump’s next major speech to Congress:
The Trump Administration’s trade policies are causing financial strain for Virginians across the Commonwealth.
Over the past year, the President’s reckless tariffs have raised costs for Virginia families, increased input costs for Virginia’s farmers and producers, and closed entire markets to their products.
For small and large businesses alike — particularly those that rely on the Port of Virginia — these policies have created tremendous uncertainty.
The President should be focused on delivering real relief for families, farmers, and business owners — not unleashing another trade war and threatening a new, massive tax on Virginians. Amid this chaos, I remain laser-focused on driving down costs for Virginia families, supporting the men and women who keep Virginia’s agriculture industry strong, and creating a stable business environment so Virginia companies can hire, expand, and continue to invest in our Commonwealth.
From Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson:
Washington is one of the most trade-dependent states in the nation. Research has shown that American companies and consumers are bearing 90 percent of the economic burden of President Trump’s tariffs. That’s why I led a coalition of more than two dozen public and private partners to tell Washington’s story to the Supreme Court. The court agreed with us, and struck down the President’s harmful and illegal tariffs.
I will always stand up for Washington families, workers and businesses.
From United States Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington:
Today’s decision is so important because consumers all over our state and the country have been hurt. Small businesses, manufacturers, individual households have all had to pay higher prices on products that they can’t afford. We need to really be concerned about America’s competitiveness and thank God the court has given us some relief.
Additionally, Senator Cantwell’s office offered this background:
Senator Cantwell has remained a steadfast supporter of expanding export markets to grow the economy in the State of Washington and nationwide.
Despite Trump’s campaign promises, prices have only gone up under his watch.
In September, Senator Cantwell joined nearly 50 small business owners on the steps of the Supreme Court to push back against Trump’s reckless tariff policies.
In April, Senator Cantwell joined small business owners at the Port of Seattle to sound the alarm on how disastrous these policies are for Washington state businesses and consumers.
According to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, tariffs are already causing significant price hikes in durable goods like vehicles, electronics, and furniture.
Also, this week, a new report that studied $4 trillion in trade found that American consumers paid nearly all of the cost of Trump’s tariffs last year – paying 96% of their cost, as opposed to just 4% paid by foreign exporters – which is consistent with other recent research about the economic impact on American consumers of the tariffs.
From United States Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon:
Today is a win for farmers, small businesses, and hardworking, middle-class families across the country. For months, Trump’s illegal and chaotic tariffs have harmed American consumers and businesses, leaving them to foot the bill for rising prices due to Trumpflation. While Trump continues his ‘families lose, billionaires win’ agenda, we’re using every tool at our disposal to fight back against his reckless policies and build an economy where families thrive, and billionaires pay their fair share.
[In June, the Congressional Budget Office told Merkley that if the Trump Tariffs were to remain in place, they would slow economic growth, boost inflation, and hurt working- and middle-class families. These tariffs have amounted to a regressive $2.5 trillion tax hike on American families.]
From United States Senator Patty Murray of Washington:
No doubt the President is somewhere throwing a tantrum over this Supreme Court Decision, but the law is clear and the law won.
Small businesses across Washington state are breathing a sigh of relief thanks to this decision. Trump’s erratic tariff regime was nothing short of economic arson. On a whim, the President would upend entire industries and drastically drive up costs or block our small businesses from markets they depended on—it was sheer stupidity that cost us jobs and drove up prices for just about everyone.
While this decision puts an important leash on an out-of-control White House, we have to recognize that so much damage has already been done.
And all year, Republicans blocked Democrats from simply repealing Trump’s destructive tariffs out of pure cowardice and a slovenly deference to a President determined to set our economy on fire. Good riddance.
Undoubtedly, Trump will look for new ways to impose tariffs and hurt American small businesses — he should just give it up and Republicans should work with us to make sure he does. In Congress, I’ll keep fighting back against Trump and Republicans’ anti-small business, anti-consumer policies.
From United States Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon:
The Supreme Court’s decision is a win for American families and small businesses who have paid billions in taxes they can’t afford thanks to Donald Trump’s pointless trade wars. The court ruled the president cannot impose tariffs without clear authorization from Congress.
Not only did Congress not authorize Trump’s global tariffs, the Senate voted 51–47 to strike them down.
I’m proud to have supported Oregon Attorney General Rayfield in the fight to uphold the rule of law and the basic notion that no president can unilaterally tax the American people. Because it’s clear Trump won’t stop his campaign of tariff terror, Congress must act now to reassert its Constitutional power over trade. If Republicans don’t do their jobs, Trump will abuse other authorities to once again slap price-hiking tariffs on all kinds of products that Americans buy every day.
From Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti:
Last spring I joined the Governor as we first put forward a legal argument on behalf of the people of Washington to challenge the president’s unlawful imposition of tariffs. Last fall I stood with Governor Ferguson, state legislators, labor unions, chambers of commerce and local elected officials from around Washington state to highlight the economic and cost of living harms facing our state if the Supreme Court did not strike down the unlawful and reckless tariffs imposed by President Trump.
Our state’s economy relies on stable, well-constructed trade policy. These unilaterally and chaotically implemented tariffs unlawfully drove up prices, threatened jobs, and increased the cost of business operations here in Washington.
A president cannot tax Americans on a whim to reward favored businesses or foreign leaders. Today’s decision made it clear that the President exceeded his authority by doing so.
I want to thank the Governor for his leadership. Next week I will be in Washington, D.C. pressing Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority over tariffs and deliver real relief to Americans from the crushing cost of living today.
From California Governor Gavin Newsom:
Time to pay the piper, Donald.
These tariffs were nothing more than an illegal cash grab that drove up prices and hurt working families, so you could wreck longstanding alliances and extort them. Every dollar unlawfully taken must be refunded immediately — with interest.
Cough up!
From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:
Today’s decision makes crystal clear the need for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority over trade policy. Trump’s chaotic and seemingly random tariffs have wreaked havoc across our nation’s industries – from farmers, manufacturers, to home construction. But most significantly, they have hurt America’s small businesses and made life less affordable for millions of hardworking families.
Americans deserve a Congress that will put people before politics — which means no longer bending the knee to an out-of-touch President and rolling back these reckless tariffs — which will happen when Democrats re-take the House majority in November.
From Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin:
Donald Trump has tanked America so bad in one year that even the Supreme Court thinks he’s gone too far.
This historic decision is a step in the right direction to rein in Trump’s illegal tariff taxes — but it can’t undo the damage Trump has already done to working families and small businesses that are reeling from high prices and a faltering economy. Despite promises of being ‘America First,’ Trump has handed out massive tax cuts to billionaires and favors to his wealthy donors, while everyday Americans barely make ends meet.
That’s why he’s completely underwater and his approval ratings are in the dumpster. Today, the Supreme Court handed Trump an off-ramp — but he’s already doubling down, even though it means screwing over everyday Americans, including his own voters.
DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer added:
Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs are an illegal tax that cost Americans hundreds of billions of dollars, and now he wants to take more of Americans’ hard-earned money. Trump was elected on the promise to lower costs, but all everyday Americans have gotten from him are a disastrous trade war, sky-high prices, and millions of layoffs. Trump owes every American a tariff rebate check for the illegal and unhinged trade war he’s been waging on the economy for the past year.
We will update this post with more statements as we get them.