PEORIA (25News Now) – U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Dunlap) is expressing skepticism about imposing “blanket tariffs” after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s tariffs against almost every country in the world.
LaHood’s comments came just nine days after he voted against a resolution (H. J. Res. 72) that would end the national economic emergency Trump declared to penalize Canada.
The decision to impose tariffs, justices said, rests with Congress.
LaHood said, “We need to be cautious about predicating our entire U.S. economy on blanket tariffs.” What’s needed, said LaHood, are trade policies that support competitiveness, long-term economic growth, and counter foreign countries’ unfair trade practices.
LaHood’s statement is as follows:
“American businesses, farmers, and families thrive with predictability and certainty. [Friday’s] Supreme Court ruling clarified the scope of [international Emergency Economic Powers Act] authority. Moving forward, we need to be cautious about predicating our entire U.S. economy on blanket tariffs. Congress and the Administration must continue to focus on advancing trade policies that support competitiveness, long-term economic growth, and counter the unfair trade practices of foreign countries.”
On Feb. 11, LaHood voted no on the measure that would end the emergency declaration that led to tariffs against Canada.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to prevent the vote, but several Republicans, joined Democrats in adopting the resolution, which passed on a 219-211 vote. The Senate, also with a GOP majority, has yet to vote on the bill.
Other lawmakers, manufacturers’ lobbying group sounds off on tariffs after court decision
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Moline) who represents parts of Central Illinois, said Trump “recklessly and unlawfully taxed every American” and the Supreme Court “righted this wrong.”
“This is more than tariffs. It’s about the Constitution and making sure that no president today or anytime in the future can abuse the power,” said Sorensen.
“And now it’s for Speaker Johnson and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with Democrats to lower costs, repair the damage done to our economy, and make sure this never happens again,” Sorensen said.
Retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke out on social media Friday and again on Saturday after the president expressed outrage at the court’s 6-3 decision.
“It was clear these tariffs were illegitimate after he announced a dramatic increase on Swiss tariffs—just because he didn’t like their leader,” said Durbin. “This Supreme Court ruling is a win,”
Saturday, Durbin said the president’s lashing out against justices is dangerous.
“The Court ruled in accordance with the law, which any president is bound by. Hurling insults doesn’t change that,” Durbin said.
Illinois’ other Democratic U.S. Senator, Tammy Duckworth, released the following statement:
“Trump’s illegal tariffs were a self-inflicted economic catastrophe caused by one wannabe dictator’s greed, vanity and hunger for power. They forced millions of Americans to pay more for groceries, toys and so many more everyday essentials, squeezed small business owners and pushed farmers to make impossible decisions just to survive. His tariffs stole billions from American small businesses, farmers and consumers—and he must give that money back.
“After months of pain in American pocketbooks, this decision proves Trump hurt the middle class for nothing. It won’t put the $1,700 that the average family has already spent back in their pockets. And after losing this case with two of the three Justices he appointed voting against him, Trump just reiterated that he will find other ways to force the American people to pay even higher prices in the months ahead.
“It could not be more obvious that Trump was always lying when he promised to lower costs. He simply is not interested in doing anything but raise prices for Americans, even if it could mean circumventing the Supreme Court.”
The president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Mark Denzler, echoed much of what Rep. LaHood said after the Supreme Court ruling.
“American manufacturers need a fair, rules-based system to successfully compete in markets across the globe. While tariffs can be an effective tool when tailored narrowly, many Illinois manufacturers reported that constantly changing across-the-board tariffs caused uncertainty, limited their ability to procure critical inputs, raised costs, and hurt competitiveness.
“We hope [Friday’s] decision will provide a stable, effective framework for the United States to negotiate trade agreements with partners, while utilizing tariffs to go after bad actors cheating the system, stealing intellectual property or otherwise undermining the rules. This should serve as a reminder of the importance of collaboration and coordination between industry and policymakers to maintain our nation’s manufacturing and economic strength.”
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