In light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing that presidents do not have the authority to use emergency powers to impose tariffs, Governor Ned Lamont and the governors of 18 other states today sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging Congress to enact meaningful statutory constraints on presidential tariff power that allow for appropriate Congressional review.
Their full letter is as follows:
March 11, 2026
The Honorable John Thune
Majority Leader
United States Senate
S-230, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Mike Johnson
Speaker
United States House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Minority Leader
United States Senate
S-221, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries
Minority Leader
United States House of Representatives
H-204, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
RE: Restricting Presidential Tariff Authority in Light of U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump
Dear Majority Leader Thune, Speaker Johnson, Minority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader Jeffries,
We write to you today with shared concern for the residents of our states — our farmers, manufacturers, small business owners, and working families — who have experienced significant economic harm as a result of the sweeping tariffs imposed by the Executive Branch this past year. With last week’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump establishing that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs, we respectfully urge you to cast aside any efforts to codify the invalidated levies struck down by the Supreme Court and instead enact meaningful statutory constraints on presidential tariff power that allow for appropriate congressional review.
Since the imposition of broad tariffs under the claimed authority of IEEPA, our states have seen the consequences ripple through every sector of our economy. Families and consumers are paying dramatically more for everyday goods, with independent economic analyses estimating that these tariffs have cost the average American family hundreds to over a thousand dollars per year in higher prices. Those dollars represent real sacrifices, such as fewer groceries, deferred medical care, and reduced savings. By late 2025, two-thirds of Americans had expressed concern about the impact of these tariffs on their finances.
Just this month, sixty-three percent of registered voters said they disapprove of the administration’s handling of tariffs. The Supreme Court’s ruling affirmed that the authority to set tariff and trade policy belongs to the Congress of the United States and not the Executive Branch as a sole actor. At this pivotal moment, action to clarify and limit the scope of presidential tariff authority under existing statutes is needed, including guardrails that allow for congressional review and approval before sweeping, emergency tariff structures affecting the economy are set into motion.
The Supreme Court has spoken, and now it is Congress’s turn to act. We urge you to seize this moment, work across party lines, and restore to the American people meaningful control over trade policy that affects their daily lives.
Sincerely,
Gretchen Whitmer
Governor of Michigan
Jared Polis
Governor of Colorado
Ned Lamont
Governor of Connecticut
Matt Meyer
Governor of Delaware
JB Pritzker
Governor of Illinois
Laura Kelly
Governor of Kansas
Andy Beshear
Governor of Kentucky
Janet Mills
Governor of Maine
Wes Moore
Governor of Maryland
Maura Healey
Governor of Massachusetts
Tim Walz
Governor of Minnesota
Mikie Sherrill
Governor of New Jersey
Michelle Lujan Grisham
Governor of New Mexico
Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York
Josh Stein
Governor of North Carolina
Tina Kotek
Governor of Oregon
Dan McKee
Governor of Rhode Island
Bob Ferguson
Governor of Washington
Tony Evers
Governor of Wisconsin
Photo by Malcolm Hill: https://www.pexels.com/photo/majestic-classical-building-12203877/
