Trump Raises Global Tariffs to 15%, Calls SC Ruling “anti-American”

Washington, Feb 20: In a major setback to President Donald Trump’s economic agenda, the US Supreme Court on Friday struck down most of his sweeping tariffs, ruling that he lacked authority under a 1977 emergency law to impose broad import levies on America’s trading partners across the world, including India. 

The ruling marks a rare instance of the conservative-led court reining in Trump’s use of executive power. According to Politico, the court in a 6-3 decision struck down the tariffs, calling it “a major repudiation of a core piece of Trump’s economic programme.”

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said: “The President asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope. In light of the breadth, history, and constitutional context of that asserted authority, he must identify clear congressional authorization to exercise it.”

Roberts added that the 1977 law Trump relied on “falls short” of the Congressional approval required.

The Washington Post reported that the justices ruled the president did not have the authority under a 1977 emergency economic powers law to impose a vast array of import levies on goods from nearly all of the nation’s trading partners.

The Hill said the court “cast aside the bulk of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs Friday, obliterating a canon of his economic strategy in ruling that his use of an emergency statute to remake global trade was unlawful.”

The justices rejected Trump’s expanded use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1970s-era statute that allows the president to “regulate” imports when necessary to respond to national emergencies that pose an “unusual and extraordinary” threat.

“We claim no special competence in matters of economics or foreign affairs,” Roberts wrote. “We claim only, as we must, the limited role assigned to us by Article III of the Constitution. Fulfilling that role, we hold that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.”

Trump had declared emergencies over fentanyl and trade deficits to justify tariffs on countries including Canada, China, and Mexico, and to impose what he called reciprocal tariffs on dozens of trading partners worldwide. On India, Trump has imposed an 18 percent tariff.

The Hill noted that Trump is the first president to attempt to invoke IEEPA to impose tariffs in its nearly 50-year history.

Sector-specific tariffs relying on separate legal authorities, including those on steel, aluminium and copper, were not at issue and remain in effect.

The decision is expected to trigger efforts by companies to recover billions of dollars in tariffs already paid. In the run-up to the ruling, Costco, parts of the Toyota Group, Revlon and hundreds of other companies had filed lawsuits seeking to protect their claims, according to The Hill.

Though the ruling represents a significant defeat, avenues remain for the administration. Congress retains constitutional authority to impose tariffs, and the president could seek to justify duties under other existing laws.

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act was enacted in 1977 to provide presidents with authority to address extraordinary foreign threats during national emergencies. Over the decades, it has primarily been used to impose sanctions rather than broad-based tariffs, making this case a significant test of executive power in trade policy.

This report is from IANS news service. NewsGram holds no responsibility for its content. 

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Addressing the Press Conference after US Supreme Court rules against Tariffs, President Trump said: "The Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing, and I'm ashamed of certain members of the court—absolutely ashamed—for not having the courage to do what's right for our country... Democrats on the court are thrilled, but they will automatically vote no... they're against anything that makes America, strong, healthy, and Great Again. They also are a, frankly, disgrace to our nation"

Addressing the Press Conference after US Supreme Court rules against Tariffs: "Effective immediately, all national security tariffs under Section 232 and existing Section 301 tariffs remain in place... Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff under Section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged"

Taking a question from the press on future of Tariffs, US President Donald Trump said, "Just so you understand — we have tariffs. We just have them in a different way, and now they've been confirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States.... And we'll be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars."

On the question of future of India-US Trade Deal negotiated earlier this month, President said that that "nothing changes". He also mentioned Modi is great leader and a great friend but he will be paying any tariff, they [India] will be paying us.

India and the US are going through bilateral negotiations regarding tariffs. Amid the ongoing discussion, US tariffs on some Indian imports will be temporarily reduced to 10%, which earlier stood at 18%, as clarified by the White House. It is a short-term adjustment meant to ease trade tensions between New Delhi and Washington.

The statement comes at a time of interim relief for Indian exporters who were earlier impacted by the higher duties, although officials have not confirmed the duration of the rate reduction. With talks in process, further updates are awaited.

In an interview with Fox News, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated that the trade deals have enabled the USA to cover over half of the world’s population and remain in full effect. He further added that the existing trade agreements still hold and will be honoured, saying, “We expect our trading partners to honour them.”

Greer also stated that the tariffs resulted in expanded market access that the country had not enjoyed in 30 years. He defended the tariff move used by the Trump administration, stating that Trump’s use of the IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) was a necessary tool “to quickly and flexibly address major challenges originating from outside the United States, including the fentanyl, immigration, and trade deficit crises.”

On February 20, 2026, the US Supreme Court held that the US President does not have the authority to levy wide-scale tariffs globally.

The Supreme Court struck down the reciprocal tariff imposed by Trump on February 20, 2026, in a 6–3 majority ruling, stating that the POTUS lacked authority under a 1977 emergency act. The White House has released a fact sheet in which President Trump has invoked his authority under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.

The proclamation has been imposed for a period of 150 days, and the temporary import duty will take effect on February 24, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The tariffs imposed under Section 122 will expire after 150 days unless Congress decides to extend the period. Some goods, such as critical minerals, metals used in currency and bullion, energy, natural resources, and fertilizers, will not be subject to the temporary import duty. They are excluded because of the needs of the U.S. economy or to ensure that the duty more effectively addresses the international payment problems faced by the United States.

“The United States faces fundamental international payment problems, in particular a large and serious balance-of-payments deficit. As a result of its loss of domestic production, the United States must import much of what it consumes, sending US dollars out of our own economy and overseas,” said the statement. 

With Inputs from IANS