The US Supreme Court on Wednesday considered the legality of President Trump’s global tariffs, where a majority of the justices — both the court’s three liberal-leaning justices, as well as three more conservative ones — offered skeptical questions regarding the president’s authority to impose his most sweeping duties.
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has previously backed Trump in a series of decisions this year. But justices appeared skeptical of the president’s authority, casting doubt over the centerpiece of Trump’s second-term economic agenda.
“What would prohibit Congress from just abdicating all responsibility to regulate foreign commerce — for that matter, declare war — to the president?” Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed to the high court by Trump, asked the US government’s lawyer.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was in attendance at Wednesday’s hearing, said he “came away very, very optimistic.”
If the Supreme Court do not rule in favor of Trump’s tariffs its widely expected that the Trump administration will seek out alternative methods to carry out the US’s trade agenda.
As Yahoo Finance correspondent Ben Werschkul has detailed, experts are split on the ultimate verdict the court will hand down. In any case, the outcome will offer significant ramifications for the global economy and its businesses and consumers.
Trump, meanwhile, has made clear he considers the case to be of paramount importance to his legacy, even as his administration touts the other legal avenues he could use to impose the duties.
Trump on Tuesday said the case is “literally LIFE OR DEATH for our country.”
Read more: What Trump’s tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet
The US and China reached a trade truce last week. The thaw means China will suspend additional export controls on rare earth metals and end investigations into US chip companies. Meanwhile, the US will pause some of Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” on China for another year. On Thursday, the US pushed forward on plans to pause punitive measures on China’s shipbuilding industry.
China announced on Wednesday that it will remove its tariffs on US farm goods, in response to the US removing fentanyl related tariffs on Beijing’s exports.
A spat over an ad featuring the late Ronald Reagan continues between the US and Canada. The Canadian prime minister said recently he apologized to Trump over the ad.
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