WA Dems praise U.S. Supreme Court for ruling on Trump’s ‘erratic tariff regime’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Supreme Court 6-3: tariffs unlawful under International Economic Emergency Powers Act.
- Washington leaders say tariffs raised prices and harmed the trade-dependent economy.
- State officials filed amicus briefs and urged Congress to reaffirm tariff authority.
Washington Democratic leaders on Friday morning welcomed the news that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down President Donald Trump’s global tariffs.
The nation’s high court ruled 6-3 that Trump’s tariffs imposed under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act are unlawful, stating that only Congress has the authority to tax in nearly all scenarios, according to States Newsroom. The court took issue with the federal administration’s reasoning that illegal drug imports and trade deficits gave it the emergency authority to place tariffs on imported goods.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, reacted to the news on X.
“No doubt the President will throw an online tantrum about this shortly, but small businesses everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief,” Murray said in a Feb 20 post. “Trump’s erratic tariff regime did real damage, pushed so many to the brink of closure, and drove up prices for everyone. Good riddance.”
Her colleague, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, also praised the decision in a post on X, saying that the opinion matters because consumers in Washington and nationwide have faced higher price tags “on products that they can’t afford.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse also weighed in, writing on X that the decision reaffirms Congress’ constitutional authority to levy tariffs while reinstalling balance between the executive and legislative branches.
“Tariffs can be effective in securing new trade deals when used in a targeted manner,” said Newhouse, whose central Washington district includes the Tri-Cities. “I remain committed to working with President Trumps’ administration to secure trade deals that put American farmers, businesses, and consumers first.”
Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh said that prior administrations allowed the U.S. to be taken advantage of by trading partners who’d placed tariffs on this country’s services and goods while not expecting the same in return. He said the ruling is not a complete surprise, adding that the court decided the Trump administration’s tariffs’ use has been overly broad, or “too much a sledgehammer and not enough a scalpel.”
“There are a lot of critics of the administration who just don’t like Trump, who are going to claim this is some sort of huge rebuke. It’s not,” said Walsh, who’s also an Aberdeen state representative.
For his part, Trump has blasted certain justices as a “disgrace to our nation” and announced a 10% global-tariff workaround under the Section 122 trade law, according to CNN.
Gov. Bob Ferguson issued a statement Friday morning noting that Washington is among the nation’s most trade-dependent states. He pointed to research indicating that nearly 90% of the tariffs’ economic fallout is landing on U.S. consumers and companies.
“I will always stand up for Washington families, workers and businesses,” Ferguson said.
Trump sought to impose tariffs on nearly every nation, Ferguson’s office said in the news release, and had included a 25% tariff on many Mexican products and a 35% tariff on many Canadian imports. In 2024, close to $120 billion imports and exports came through the state’s ports.
In September the governor’s budget office issued a report indicating that fully implementing the federal administration’s tariffs could cause Washington to lose more than $2 billion over the next four years in general fund revenue.
Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen of Seattle said Friday afternoon that he was relieved to learn of the decision from an economic standpoint. He said Congress has been unwilling to assert its authority against an “out-of-control president,” and that he sees significance in three of the more conservative justices siding with their liberal counterparts given the number of “disappointing” cases in which the court hasn’t pushed back.
“That is a healthy sign that our democracy is not yet dead,” Pedersen said, also noting that he suspects the Trump administration will try out other legal justifications.
Ferguson, along with a coalition of more than two dozen partners, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court last fall to bolster a legal challenge aiming to stop the tariffs. It argued that the tariffs have eroded the health of the state’s economy and disrupted certain sectors, including manufacturing, agriculture and technology — leading to increased costs for businesses and consumers and weakened global competitiveness.
State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti joined in filing that and an earlier Ferguson-led amicus brief, as did state lawmakers, labor unions, local mayors and more.
Pellicciotti said in a Feb. 20 news release that the “chaotically implemented tariffs” illegally hiked costs and business-operation expenses, plus jeopardized jobs, in Washington.
“A president cannot tax Americans on a whim to reward favored businesses or foreign leaders,” he said. “Today’s decision made it clear that the President exceeded his authority by doing so.”
The treasurer added that he’ll visit the nation’s capital next week and urge Congress to reinstate its “constitutional authority over tariffs and deliver real relief to Americans from the crushing cost of living today.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comment from Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh and Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 11:46 AM.
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