Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized Donald Trump’s tariff actions, citing constitutional overreach.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has accused President Donald Trump of violating the Constitution by unilaterally imposing tariffs. “The Constitution gives Congress the power to levy taxes and tariffs,” Pence wrote on X. “The president has no authority in the Constitution to unilaterally impose tariffs without an act of Congress.”
This comes after a U.S. Court of International Trade ruling found Trump’s use of emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs lacked constitutional grounding. The court said, “We do not read IEEPA to delegate an unbounded tariff authority to the President.”
Trump responded on Truth Social, calling the decision “horrific” and claiming it would “completely destroy Presidential Power.”
Congressional Republicans like Sen. John Kennedy acknowledged the legal question. “The issue before the courts is whether he has exceeded that authority,” Kennedy told CNN.
The tariffs remain in effect pending appeal. The administration, according to adviser Peter Navarro, may take the case to the Supreme Court.