Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Friday blasted President Donald Trump for imposing new 10% tariffs after the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, blocked his invocation of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs.
Schumer said the Court’s ruling affirmed what Democrats have argued from the start: a president cannot bypass Congress and unilaterally impose broad tariffs on the American people. He framed the decision as a victory for consumers who have borne the brunt of what he called Trump’s “tariff tax.”
But instead of accepting the ruling, Schumer pointed out, Trump immediately moved to reimpose tariffs in a new form— again shifting costs onto American families. According to Schumer, the president’s remarks announcing the new tariffs failed to acknowledge a central reality: tariffs raise prices for the American consumer. From groceries to household goods, he noted, families have already felt the impact of higher costs triggered by the previous round of trade measures.
“For Donald Trump’s speech to mention tariffs and not mention the costs they impose on American families shows that he is totally in a bubble,” Schumer said. “He has no understanding of what the average American family goes through.”
Schumer: ‘Let’s Call These Tariffs For What They Are: A Tax On The American People’
Schumer characterized the newly announced 10% tariffs as a continuation of the same policy approach the Supreme Court just rejected. Whether imposed last year or rebranded today, he said, tariffs function as taxes paid by American consumers and small businesses—not foreign governments.
Schumer also underscored Congress’s constitutional authority over trade policy, urging his Republican colleagues to join Democrats in blocking the new tariffs. The Senate, he noted, has previously voted on a bipartisan basis to oppose the president’s illegal trade war.
“We hope our Republican colleagues will join with us in rejecting these tariffs because they’re such a burden on American families and the costs that they pay,” Schumer stated. “These tariffs aren’t tough on China; they’re tough on American families.”
With inflation and affordability concerns still top of mind for voters, Schumer positioned the Court’s decision as temporary relief—and Trump’s response as a renewed burden. He closed by pressing Congress to assert its authority and prevent what he called another round of unnecessary cost increases on struggling households.
