Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision rejecting President Trump's illegal tariffs:

I’m relieved that the Supreme Court has finally acknowledged Trump’s chaotic tariff policy as a clear case of executive overreach. 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. 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. 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. 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. 

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