No Promised US Manufacturing Boom As Trump Tariffs Ruled Illegal

The Court of International Trade (CIT) found in a 2-to-1 ruling that Trump violated the law when he unilaterally enacted the 10% import taxes following a February decision by the US Supreme Court, which struck down tariffs the president imposed using emergency powers. But the CIT's ruling, which the Trump administration is expected to appeal, only barred collection of the tariffs from some of the plaintiffs in the case – including a pair of businesses and Washington state – an thus limited the ruling's immediate impact.

Representative John Larson (D-Conn.), a member of the House Trade Subcommittee, applauded the new ruling in a statement, saying that“Trump must comply with the law by ending his illegal tax on the American people and getting families and small businesses the refunds they are owed.”

“The Supreme Court already rebuked the president's costly tariffs, but Donald Trump sees our Constitution as a mere suggestion to follow, and not the law of the land,” said Larson.“As families are squeezed by sky-high grocery bills and gas prices, his latest round of tariffs is only pouring salt in the wound. The average household has already had nearly $2,000 stolen from them by this administration, and they should not have to pay a penny more.”

The decision came as a new analysis of trade and manufacturing data from the first quarter of 2026 found that the president's“actions on trade have not delivered on his promises to quickly balance trade and revitalize US manufacturing.” Since Trump's return to the White House last year, US manufacturing employment has declined by 82,000 jobs, according to the Rethink Trade program at the American Economic Liberties Project.