On Feb. 11, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s efforts to apply tariffs on Canadian goods by a vote of 6-3. The ruling found that Trump doesn’t legally have the power to impose tariffs, Congress does. An article from Chris Brennan at USA Today argued that the taxes are considered illogical for U.S. consumers to pay. Trump fears for the future of Republican control in the House, as Democratic control may affect the president’s ability to maintain power over his government, and lead to impeachment.
In reaction to the rejection, Trump posted an enraged response on Truth Social the same day the voting took place, threatening Republicans with consequences for their decision, but did not disclose specifics. There’s also speculation that it was directed toward two U.S. Reps, Jeff Hurd of Colorado and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. As of Feb. 21, Trump no longer endorses Hurd, however, any retaliation against Fitzpatrick is still unknown.
Trump declared he would find new ways to impose tariffs on countries, and the day after the vote, he declared that we would raise the global tariff rate from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, despite being the ruling from the Supreme Court. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the U.S. will have to refund countries affected by the tariffs, equalling at least 134 billion dollars.
Veronica is a Staff Writer at The Cascade. She loves to travel and explore new places, no matter how big or small. She is in her second year at UFV, pursuing the study of Creative
Writing.