Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to hail last week’s Supreme Court ruling striking President Donald Trump’s tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), calling it a victory for the rule of law and a rebuke of what he described as chaotic and economically harmful trade policy.
In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States invalidated roughly 70 percent of the administration’s tariffs, finding that the president had exceeded the authority granted by Congress. Durbin argued that, while tariffs can be effective when deployed strategically, Trump’s approach ignored statutory limits and basic economic principles.
Durbin focused heavily on the cost to American families, citing estimates that the average household paid more than $1,700 last year as a result of the tariffs. Despite the repeated bogus claims that foreign exporters would shoulder the burden, he noted that importers—and ultimately consumers—pay the tax. He pointed to research from the New York Federal Reserve concluding that 90 percent of the economic burden fell on Americans.
Durbin: ‘It Is Up To Congress To Reject Those Desperate Gambles By The President’
The Illinois senator also tied the tariff policy to job losses in manufacturing, saying U.S. factories now employ 72,000 fewer workers than they did in April 2025, with monthly declines continuing. He argued that the administration’s trade actions have undercut the very sectors the president pledged to strengthen.
Farmers in Illinois, Durbin said, have been particularly hard hit. Higher costs for fertilizer, seed, machinery, and equipment—combined with the loss of export markets such as China—have made farming less profitable. He described conversations with farmers who told him they simply want the federal government to “get out of the way” so they can compete globally without policy-driven disruptions.
Rather than recalibrate after the court’s decision, Durbin pointed out the president has continued to float new tariffs, adding to market instability and prompting uncertainty among U.S. trading partners. He warned that ongoing trade turbulence risks further economic fallout.
Durbin urged Congress to step in, not only to prevent what he characterized as additional “desperate gambles” by the president, but also to ensure that small businesses receive refunds for tariffs collected under the invalidated program. He also called for relief for consumers who paid higher prices as a result of the levies, arguing that if lawmakers are serious about addressing the cost of living, reimbursement should follow the court’s ruling.
“The damage has been done,” Durbin said, but he maintained that Congress has an obligation to restore stability—and return money he states was wrongly taken from American businesses and families.
