"Supreme Court will side with us": Trump's advisor Kevin Hassett on tariffs' legality

Washington, DC [US], October 25 : US Director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, on Friday expressed "extremely high" confidence in a Supreme Court win over the legality of US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

The US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the legality of President Donald Trump's tariffs in November, with Republicans expressing high confidence in a favourable ruling.

"I think that we have a very high level of confidence that the Supreme Court will side with us. We think we're on very strong grounds. I've been fishing through the briefs myself just to see what the arguments are, and I think the case is very, very strong, and we're highly confident that they'll side with us. I even spoke in the oval with the President about it last night, and I say the level of confidence is extremely high," he said.

Trump imposed sweeping tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), citing national security concerns and trade deficits. Small businesses and 12 US states argue that Trump exceeded his authority, driving them to bankruptcy.

The US Supreme Court has granted an unusually quick hearing on whether Trump has the power to impose sweeping tariffs under federal law. The justices said on September 9 that they will hear arguments in November, which is lightning-fast by the typical standards of the nation's highest court, according to Al Jazeera.

The small businesses and states that challenged the tariffs in court also agreed to the accelerated timetable. They say Trump illegally used emergency powers to set import taxes on goods from almost every country in the world, nearly driving their businesses to bankruptcy. The justices also agreed to hear a separate challenge to Trump's tariffs brought by a family-owned toy company, Learning Resources.

Two lower courts have found that most of the tariffs were illegally imposed, though a 7-4 appeals court has left them in place. The levies are part of a trade war instigated by Trump since his return to the presidency in January, which has alienated trading partners, increased volatility in financial markets, and driven global economic uncertainty, according to Al Jazeera.

Tariffs have alienated trading partners, increased market volatility, and fueled global economic uncertainty. However, Trump argues tariffs promote peace and economic prosperity, while critics see them as protectionist.

The case centers on presidential power vs. Congressional authority to levy tariffs.

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