"The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for th

[riversedge]

Supreme Court says the biggest tax hike in over three decades was illegal the whole time

At least $290 billion stolen. The Democrats should promise your money back.

https://www.editorialboard.com/supreme-court-says-the-biggest-tax-increase-in-more-than-three-decades-was-illegal-from-th/?ref=the-editorial-board-newsletter


John Stoehr 20 Feb 2026 —


Supreme Court says the biggest tax hike in over three decades was illegal the whole time
Courtesy of Aaron Rupar.

Today, the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s tariff scheme, because the power of taxation goes to the Congress, not the president. “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

The news is being framed as a loss. “The 6-3 ruling is a major blow to the president’s signature economic policy,” NPR said. It “represents a stinging political setback,” the Post said. “The first major piece of President Trump’s broad agenda” is now upended, the AP said.

Hours before the court’s ruling came news of the US economy slowing down to a degree much greater than economists expected, because consumers pulled back so sharply. They did so, of course, because Trump’s tariffs scheme amounted to the biggest tax increase of the last three decades, according to the Tax Foundation. (JP Morgan Chase, in an assessment published last April, said it’s the biggest since 1968.)

The Times said the government collected nearly $290 billion in custom duties last year, triple what was collected the year before. Last week, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York issued a report saying more than 90 percent of that came out of the pockets of American consumers. (This quarter was shaping up to be worse than the last, as consumer confidence “collapsed” last month to its lowest level since 2014.)..........................