Some in GOP privately cheer SCOTUS rebuke of Trump
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President Trump speaks at a press conference at the White House on Feb. 20. Photo: Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The small bloc of Republicans who have publicly broken with President Trump on trade policy aren't the only ones thrilled about the Supreme Court overturning his global tariffs, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Cracks in GOP support for protecting Trump's trade barriers had already grown significant by the time of the ruling, and Republicans tell Axios a "messy" full-scale revolt on the issue was just around the corner.
- "Republicans have been patient with the President's tariffs until recently, but few significant results have been secured via the trade war," said one senior House Republican who, like most of their colleagues, has repeatedly voted to curtail Congress' power to block the president's tariffs.
- "Patience was running thin, and in some respects the Supreme Court decision makes a messy breakup unnecessary."
Driving the news: In a 6-3 decision handed down Friday, the court ruled that Trump lacked the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
- That nullifies Trump's 10% global baseline "Liberation Day" tariff, his additional reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries and his drug-related tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China, according to the Chamber of Progress.
- But it still leaves several other tariffs in place, including those on aluminum and steel imposed under other trade authorities.
- Trump has already begun to grasp for alternative mechanisms by which to raise levies, announcing a new, temporary 10% global tariff through his limited powers under the Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.
What we're hearing: Some Republicans said the ruling protects them from political blowback over the tariffs' economic impacts without forcing them to break publicly with Trump, which could have had its own political fallout.
- "A messy public dispute on tariffs between Congress and the President absolutely would have caused political problems for the midterms," the senior House Republican said.
- Another House Republican, a hardcore Republican and Trump loyalist, told Axios the court "made the correct ruling."
- "This is a constitutional issue," the lawmaker said, arguing the court was correct in protecting Congress' primacy on tax policy.
Yes, but: Congress may need to vote in several months on whether to keep in place the Section 122 tariffs — and some in the party are pushing for a proactive legislative effort to codify the tariffs that were struck down on Friday.
- "Congress should ... take action to give President Trump additional tools to defend our nation against historically unfair trade practices," Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) said in a statement.
- That puts Republican leaders in a difficult position between standing with Trump and protecting their vulnerable incumbents, as Axios' Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols reported.
Go deeper: Tariff ruling traps GOP leaders
