‘A Win for the Separation of Powers’: Some Republicans Celebrate Supreme Court Ruling Against Trump’s Tariffs

Several notable Republicans celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday that struck down President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs, saying that the decision defended Congress’s constitutional authority.

The decision immediately overturns the sweeping tariffs that Trump enacted last year on most imports. The six-Justice majority ruled that the President didn’t have the authority to implement such tariffs by claiming a national emergency. Trump blasted the decision on Truth Social, calling it “deeply disappointing” and saying that he was “ashamed of certain Members of the Court for not having the Courage to do what is right for our Country.” In a press briefing later Friday, the President personally attacked conservative Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, who he nominated during his first term, after they jointed the majority, calling them “a disgrace to our nation” and “an embarrassment to their families.”

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But a number of politicians in Trump’s own party commended the nation’s highest court for the ruling. Former Vice President Mike Pence called it “a Victory for the American People and a Win for the Separation of Powers enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.”

“With this decision, American families and businesses can breathe a sigh of relief,” Pence said in a post on X. “With this historic decision, America can now return to the pursuit of Free Trade with Free Nations under the Constitution of the United States!”

Read More: Supreme Court Rules Most of Trump’s Tariffs Are Illegal

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a social media post that “the Supreme Court reaffirmed authority that has rested with Congress for centuries,” and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said the Justices “defended the Constitution.”

“Tariffs are taxes and the power to declare them belongs to the Congress,” Paul said in a post on X. “No future administration, including a socialist one, can use ‘emergency’ powers to get around Congress and tax by decree.”

Utah Sen. John Curtis also praised the ruling on social media, though he said that “several questions remain unanswered,” such as what will happen to the revenue that has already been collected from the tariffs. He said it was “critical” to provide clarity on those unanswered questions.

Still, he said, the ruling “affirms, despite all the noise of the moment, that the Founders’ system of checks and balances remains strong nearly 250 years later.”

Last week, six House Republicans broke ranks with the President to side with their Democratic colleagues on a resolution to repeal tariffs Trump imposed against Canada. Five of those Republican lawmakers—Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Kevin Kiley of California, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Dan Newhouse of Washington, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky—took to social media on Friday to commend the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Massie—who has often clashed with Trump, including over the Administration’s handling of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—said on X that the Supreme Court “made the right decision on tariffs.”

Bacon said in a social media post after the ruling that “the Constitution’s checks and balances still work.”

“This was a common-sense and straightforward ruling by the Supreme Court,” he continued. “I feel vindicated as I’ve been saying this for the last 12 months.”

Bacon added, though, that “Congress should defend its own authorities and not rely on the Supreme Court” on such matters going forward. And he said that aside from the legal issues he had with the President’s sweeping tariffs, he also thought that “broad-based tariffs are bad economics.”

Newhouse said that tariffs can be a useful tool in certain situations, but that the ruling on Friday “restores balance between the legislative and executive branches.”

“I remain committed to working with President Trumps’ administration to secure trade deals that put American farmers, businesses, and consumers first,” he said in a social media post.

Hurd also said that while “tariffs can be a useful tool when applied strategically,” the Supreme Court’s ruling “underscores the need for Congress to play its proper role in trade policy.”

“Major trade decisions should rest on clear statutory authority, not expansive emergency interpretations,” he said in his post on X. “My vote last week reflected that same principle. Strong trade enforcement must be grounded in durable legal footing.”

“If tariffs are necessary,” he continued, “Congress should debate them and vote on them directly. That is how our constitutional system is designed to function.”

Multiple Republicans pointed to Gorsuch’s concurring opinion, in which the conservative Justice noted that “most major decisions affecting the rights and responsibilities of the American people (including the duty to pay taxes and tariffs) are funneled through the legislative process for a reason.”

“Yes, legislating can be hard and take time,” continued Gorsuch. “And, yes, it can be tempting to bypass Congress when some pressing problem arises. But the deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design.”

Bacon, sharing part of the opinion, lauded what he called “perfect words by Supreme Justice Gorsuch.”

Read more: ‘A Disgrace to Our Nation’: Trump Delivers Blistering Attack on Supreme Court After Tariff Ruling

Other Republicans condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling, however. Some of Trump’s allies vowed to pursue the possibility of codifying the tariffs through a fast-track legislative process, though it’s not clear if an initiative of that kind would gain traction.

“SCOTUS’s outrageous ruling handcuffs our fight against unfair trade that has devastated American workers for decades,” Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio said in a post on X. “This betrayal must be reversed and Republicans must get to work immediately on a reconciliation bill to codify the tariffs that had made our country the hottest country on earth!”

Republican leaders in Congress, meanwhile, said they would work with Trump’s Administration to determine how to move forward following the decision.

“No one can deny that the President’s use of tariffs has brought in billions of dollars and created immense leverage for America’s trade strategy and for securing strong, reciprocal America-first trade agreements with countries that had been taking advantage of American workers for decades,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X. “Congress and the Administration will determine the best path forward in the coming weeks.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune similarly said in a post on X that “Senate Republicans will continue working with the administration and our colleagues in the House to advance our shared goal to strengthen rural America,” though he offered more measured support for tariffs than Johnson did.

“Tariffs can be an important and effective tool to address unfair trade practices and help level the playing field with foreign competitors,” Thune wrote.