Members of Maine’s Congressional delegation have spoken out in response to the United States Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision Friday striking down President Donald Trump’s (R) sweeping global tariffs.
All four lawmakers representing Maine in Washington D.C. expressed support for the Court’s ruling, but their respective statements varied notably in tone and tenor.
Maine’s two senators zeroed in on the balance of power between the three branches of government. The representatives, however, addressed the issue of tariffs more directly.
While Rep. Jared Golden (D) of the Second District expressed support for the imposition of global tariffs, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) of the First District issued a scathing critique of the President’s tariff policies.
[RELATED: Gov. Janet Mills Responds to SCOTUS Block on President Trump’s Tariffs]
According to the majority of the Court, the federal law upon which President Trump relied to enact these policies does not permit the president to impose tariffs.
Authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the opinion explains that the Trump Administration’s view of the law “would represent a transformative expansion of the President’s authority over tariff policy.”
“The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” wrote Chief Justice Roberts.
It was not addressed by the Court whether or not companies may get refunded for the tariffs they have already paid.
[RELATED: Supreme Court Blocks President Trump’s Tariffs]
Statements released by both Sen. Susan Collins (R) and Sen. Angus King (I) focused primarily on the separation of the powers and the role of Congress.
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling reaffirms that only Congress has the constitutional authority to impose tariffs, and the President can only do so under a clear and limited delegation of authority from Congress,” Sen. Collins wrote.
“My votes against the President unilaterally imposing tariffs on Canada reflected the same conclusion as well as my belief that these tariffs often harm Maine’s economy and consumers,” Collins said.
Click Here to Read Sen. Collins’ Full Statement
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling striking down the Trump White House’s tariff policies is a civics lesson for both the President and the Congress, and boils down to three core truths of our American experiment in self-government and the people’s rule,” said Sen. Angus King (I).
“The United States is a constitutional republic, and in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of our Constitution it clearly states that: ‘[The Congress shall have Power . . . ] to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes,'” he explained.
“The Supreme Court maintains the constitutional guardrails preventing overreach from the other two branches of the federal government,” continued Sen. King. “This is the core definition of checks and balances.”
“Congress has a clear role to play in terms of shaping American life, safety, and economic policy as it seeks to look after the citizens it represents,” King said.
“Today’s 6-3 ruling is an example of the Supreme Court reasserting its key role in our government,” King said. “I can only hope that my colleagues in Congress follow the judiciary’s lead to reassert its own role and responsibilities as the Constitution outlines.”
Click Here to Read Sen. King’s Full Statement
Both statements shared by Maine’s representatives focused more heavily on the issue of tariffs specifically, each, however, adopting a markedly different stance.
Rep. Golden reaffirmed his support for the use of tariffs as a tool, calling particular attention to a proposal currently before Congress that would impose a baseline global tariff of ten percent.
Rep. Pingree, on the other hand, argued that the Trump Administration’s approach has done harm to the American economy. Although she does not outright denounce the use of tariffs in general, she contends that President Trump’s approach in particular has been damaging.
“Today’s ruling,” said Golden, “reaffirms that the most durable way to rebalance trade in favor of American workers isn’t tariffs by executive action: It’s Congress reasserting its power and passing them into law.”
“A good place to start is my bipartisan Secure Trade Act, which includes a 10 percent baseline tariff,” Golden said.
“America’s broken trade order decimated domestic manufacturing and Maine’s heritage industries, all to uphold a system where we consume far more than we produce,” he added. “Tariffs remain a proven tool to restore balance and tilt the scales back in favor of American manufacturing.
“I remain committed to ensuring our country uses this tool — whether at the president’s direction or the Congress’s,” Golden concluded.
Click Here to Read Rep. Golden’s Full Statement
“I’m relieved that the Supreme Court has finally acknowledged Trump’s chaotic tariff policy as a clear case of executive overreach,” said Pingree.
This is a win for businesses and industries that have struggled to navigate the uncertainty surrounding trade policy that was based on nothing more than the President’s egotistical impulse to impose tariffs on an immediate, boundless basis under the guise of an emergency measure,” she continued. “But while this ruling may provide momentary relief, we must acknowledge that Trump is insistent on reinstating these tariffs through other methods and means.”
“Trump’s tariffs have done incredible damage to our economy, to our relationships with key allies, and to the pocketbooks of millions of Americans. Maine’s core industries have suffered greatly: falling lobster exports, family dairy farms being pushed to the brink, our lumber and paper companies hit by retaliatory tariffs and rising input costs—the list goes on,” she continued. “Meanwhile, the increased prices caused by Trump’s reckless tariffs are taking a serious toll on Maine households, at a time when many are already struggling with rising inflation, skyrocketing health care costs, and an economy that’s been increasingly rigged to benefit billionaires and big corporations.”
“When used in the right way, tariffs can protect domestic industries,” wrote Pingree. “But the president’s chaotic and outright unconstitutional approach—the on-again-off-again threats, the ever-changing numbers, the blatant lies about who actually shoulders the economic burden—has instead destabilized an already fragile economy and isolated us from the rest of the world.”
“I strongly oppose any efforts by the Trump Administration to reinstate these tariffs by other means, and will fight alongside my colleagues in the House to reassert Congressional authority on trade—even if Republican leadership fails to do so,” Pingree concluded.
