Josh Shapiro urges adherence to SC tariff ruling, warns Donald Trump of 'chaos and higher costs'

WASHINGTON, DC: Following a 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that struck down most of Donald Trump's expansive tariff framework, Josh Shapiro said the administration's hallmark economic policy has imposed measurable costs on American households and businesses.

“I wish he would just adhere to the Supreme Court’s ruling and stop the pain for the American people,” Shapiro said during an interview on ABC's ‘This Week’, co-anchored by Martha Raddatz on Sunday, February 22.

In its opinion issued Friday, the court concluded that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not confer unilateral tariff-imposing authority on the president, delivering a major setback to a central pillar of Trump's economic agenda.

Trump moves quickly to impose new tariffs

Within hours of the ruling, Trump announced a new 15% global tariff, this time invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.

“Other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected,” Trump said.

Shapiro, who was attending a governor’s meeting at the White House when the ruling was released, described Trump’s initial reaction as confusion followed by anger, recalling that the president referred to the decision as “a disgrace.”

Shapiro says ‘real legal questions’ over alternate plans

Shapiro said Trump’s effort to continue imposing tariffs through other legal mechanisms raises serious constitutional issues and risks further economic fallout.

“These plans are going to create more chaos and higher costs for the American people,” he said, arguing that tariffs are hurting consumers, farmers and small businesses alike.

ICE operation also surfaced during Trump’s meeting with the governors 

Immigration enforcement also surfaced during Trump’s meeting with governors, Shapiro said, when a colleague asked what the president had learned from a recent operation in Minnesota.

According to Shapiro, Trump responded that federal agents would only operate in places “where we’re wanted.”

Shapiro said Pennsylvania does not welcome such operations but is prepared if federal authorities move ahead. “We do not want that kind of chaos in our communities in Pennsylvania,” he said. “But if you come, we are prepared to address it.”

Late last month, Trump tapped border czar Tom Homan to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

Shapiro said the leadership change matters less than the mission itself, which he called “compromised and unconstitutional,” adding that responsibility ultimately lies with the president.

Shapiro stops short of backing ICE abolition

Asked whether he supports abolishing ICE, Shapiro avoided a direct answer, instead calling for reforms and stronger congressional oversight.

“What’s clear is that ICE is not working,” he said. “They’ve been engaged in unconstitutional practices, and that needs to be fixed.”

Pressed repeatedly on whether that meant abolishing the agency, Shapiro said he would not “get caught up in labels.”

With the first midterm primaries set for March 3, Shapiro urged Democrats to turn out in what he called a “national referendum” on the Trump administration’s policies.

He also rejected reporting by 'The New York Times' that he does not speak with Sen John Fetterman, saying the two maintain a constructive working relationship, though he declined to say whether he would back Fetterman in a re-election bid.