Former Vice President Mike Pence gloated over the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down President Donald Trump’s tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Pence took to X on Friday after the court issued its 6-3 decision against the tariffs, calling it a “victory” for Americans.
“Today’s 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court is a Victory for the American People and a Win for the Separation of Powers enshrined in the Constitution of the United States,” Pence wrote.
“In Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, our Supreme Court has reaffirmed that the Constitution grants Congress – not the President – the power to tax,” he added.
Pence claimed that Americans pay tariffs, not foreign countries, though the conventional wisdom of many economists who have pushed this line of thinking has thus far proven wrong, as the consumer price index rose only 2.4 percent from January 2025 to January 2026, despite Trump’s tariffs.
“American families and American businesses pay American tariffs – not foreign countries. With this decision, American families and businesses can breathe a sigh of relief,” Pence wrote.
He lauded the work of his think tank, Advancing American Freedom, on the case through amicus briefs.
“With this historic decision, America can now return to the pursuit of Free Trade with Free Nations under the Constitution of the United States,” he added.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority decision. The other five judges who struck down the IEEPA tariffs include Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented, with Kavanaugh suggesting a pathway forward on future tariffs through different statutes, including “the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Section 232); the Trade Act of 1974 (Sections 122, 201, and 301); and the Tariff Act of 1930 (Section 338).”
“In essence, the Court today concludes that the President checked the wrong statutory box by relying on IEEPA rather than another statute to impose these tariffs,” he added.