{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-salinas-signs-bipartisan-amicus-brief-challenging-trumps-unlawful-and", "Rep. Salinas Signs Bipartisan Amicus Brief Challenging Trump\u2019s Unlawful and Inflationary Tariffs", "2025-10-28", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Andrea Salinas", "S001226", "salinas.house.gov", "salinas", "https://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is leading Senate and House colleagues in filing a bipartisan amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in the consolidated case challenging Donald Trump\u2019s unlawful use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on imported goods.\n\nThe sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump have raised average tariffs to their highest rate since the Great Depression and added more than $1,800 to costs for the average household. The brief in Learning Resources et al. v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections et al. \u2013 signed as well by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas and Maxine Dexter \u2013 argues that the Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the sole authority to impose tariffs and regulate commerce with foreign nations. And the brief argues that IEEPA, enacted in 1977, does not authorize tariffs. It urges the Supreme Court to reaffirm Congress\u2019s constitutional authority over tariff policy and to strike down Trump\u2019s misuse of IEEPA.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s sweeping tariffs are as reckless as they are unconstitutional. They have driven up prices, hurt American families, and eroded the Constitution\u2019s separation of powers. The Constitution is clear: tariff power belongs to Congress alone. Federal courts have already confirmed that President Trump\u2019s attempt to impose tariffs is unlawful, and now it\u2019s time for the Supreme Court to do the same. I\u2019m grateful to Attorney General Rayfield, as well as my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate, for their work to put an end to this abuse of power,\u201d Salinas said.\n\n\u201cCongress passed IEEPA to respond to crises, not to create them. This law doesn\u2019t even mention granting tariff authority to the president, let alone the power to slap sweeping tariffs on products from almost every country on earth,\u201d said Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. \u201cI\u2019m proud to support Oregon Attorney General Rayfield\u2019s effort to strike down Trump\u2019s illegal tariffs. The courts should follow the plain text of this law and strike down the global tariffs that are harming American families and threatening American jobs.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator Wyden\u2019s leadership in rallying more than 200 members of Congress to support this brief marks an important turning point,\u201d said Attorney General Dan Rayfield. \u201cThe constitutional balance of power isn\u2019t up for debate, and Congress is making it clear that presidents can\u2019t use emergency powers as a back door to raise taxes on American families.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrump\u2019s illegal and chaotic tariffs are harming American consumers and businesses, leaving them to foot the bill for Trumpflation\u2019s rising prices,\u201d Merkley said. \u201cWhile Trump is doing all he can to make life more expensive for families across the country, we\u2019re fighting back against the Trump tariff wrecking ball with every tool at our disposal.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe livelihood and economic stability of Oregonians should not be subject to Donald Trump\u2019s whims or determined by his abuse of power,\u201d said Bonamici. \u201cWe\u2019re fighting against this dangerous and chaotic trade policy, which is increasing uncertainty and raising prices for people across the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrump\u2019s tariffs are a tax on working people who are already struggling to get by in an economy that is rigged against them,\u201d said Dexter. \u201cI stand firmly beside Attorney General Rayfield in his relentless fight against Trump\u2019s illegal tariffs and am proud to join this amicus brief to support that effort in court.\u201d\n\nThe Supreme Court filing follows consistent rulings from the Federal Circuit, the Court of International Trade and the District Court for the District of Columbia\u2014all of which found the Trump administration\u2019s use of IEEPA to impose tariffs unlawful. The lawmakers\u2019 brief underscores that IEEPA\u2019s narrow emergency powers do not authorize the President to impose duties, taxes or tariffs and that using IEEPA in this way undermines guardrails designed by Congress to prevent executive abuse of tariffs.\n\nIn June, Senators Wyden, Merkley, Shaheen, and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Democratic Leader, led 33 senators in filing an amicus brief at an earlier stage of this case urging the immediate suspension of the tariffs imposed under IEEPA.\n\nIn July, Wyden and Shaheen, as well as House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the ranking members of the House Foreign Affairs, Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees co-led a group of 191 Senate and House lawmakers in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Oregon/V.O.S. Selections v. Trump, challenging President Trump\u2019s unlawful use of emergency powers to impose tariffs under IEEPA. The brief argued that IEEPA is not a tariff statute and that the President lacks the constitutional authority to unilaterally impose taxes on imported goods.\n\nIn addition to Wyden, the brief was also led by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, as well as House Litigation Task Force Chair Joe Neguse, D-Colo., House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., and House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. In addition to Merkley, Bonamici, Salinas, and Dexter, the brief was signed by 33 Senators and 168 U.S. Representatives.\n\nThe full brief is here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-salinas-signs-bipartisan-amicus-brief-challenging-trumps-unlawful-and"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9950180537998676, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}