News + Press
News + Press
News + Press
WV Democrats Applaud Supreme Court For Striking Down Trump’s Terrible Tariffs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 20, 2026
The West Virginia Democratic Party today welcomed the United States Supreme Court’s decisive 6–3 ruling striking down Donald Trump’s reckless and illegal trade war. In rejecting Trump’s claim that he had unilateral authority to impose sweeping tariffs, the Court affirmed what economists have been saying all along: these so-called “tough” trade policies were nothing more than a massive tax hike on the American people.
Trump’s disastrous tariffs sent the American economy into a tailspin. Last year alone, Americans collectively paid an additional $175 billion in higher costs as a result of his trade war. Working families saw their household expenses rise by an estimated $2,120, and American consumers — not foreign exporters — absorbed 95 percent of the burden. In exchange for these illegal taxes, Trump delivered nothing but higher prices that will never fully return to pre-tariff levels.
Here in West Virginia, the damage was especially severe. Trump’s tariffs have been linked to the loss of more than 1,000 coal jobs in our state, as retaliatory trade measures and global market instability undercut exports and squeezed producers. For communities already fighting to keep good-paying mining jobs, Trump’s trade war made a difficult situation worse — sacrificing West Virginia workers for political theater.
At the same time, new economic data released today underscores just how deeply families are hurting. PCE inflation has risen to its highest level since March 2024. Fourth quarter GDP came in dramatically under expectations. Consumers are spending less as persistent high prices and economic uncertainty take their toll. The personal savings rate has fallen to 3.6 percent — the lowest level since 2022 — as more Americans dip into savings simply to get by. It is little surprise that Trump is deeply underwater with voters on the economy, trade, and inflation, with a majority of Americans believing the economy is bad and getting worse, and more than twice as many reporting that their personal finances have declined over the past year.
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling confirms what we’ve said from the beginning — Donald Trump’s trade war was illegal, reckless, and devastating to working families,” said West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin. “West Virginians were forced to pay higher prices on everything from groceries to construction materials because Trump thought he could gamble with the global economy. And here at home, more than 1,000 coal jobs have been tied to the fallout from his tariffs and the retaliatory trade measures they triggered. He didn’t secure better deals. He didn’t lower costs. He handed the American people a $175 billion bill and called it strategy.”
Pushkin warned that the fight may not be over. “The Court handed Trump an off-ramp from this disastrous trade war, but instead of taking it, he’s already looking for ways to reenact these tariffs. That means sticking everyday Americans with even higher costs. West Virginia families and workers can’t afford another round of this chaos.”
Teresa Toriseva, Vice Chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party, echoed those concerns. “When tariffs hit, it’s not foreign governments that pay, it’s families in Wheeling, Charleston, Logan, and communities all across our state. It’s small businesses trying to keep their doors open. It’s miners worried about whether their jobs will survive the next trade retaliation. The numbers don’t lie: inflation is up, growth is slowing, savings are shrinking, and jobs have been lost. The Supreme Court did its job today. Now we must ensure that working people are never again forced to bankroll a reckless and illegal trade war.”
The West Virginia Democratic Party calls on Donald Trump to respect the Court’s ruling, abandon any attempt to circumvent it, and put the interests of American workers and families ahead of political gamesmanship. West Virginians deserve leadership that lowers costs, protects jobs, strengthens the economy, and upholds the rule of law.
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