Rand Paul joins Fox Business host Stuart Varney warning that “tariffs are taxes” and emphasizing that “the Constitution must have meaning.”
During an appearance on Varney & Co., Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said he believes the Supreme Court should strike down President Trump’s authority to impose tariffs on foreign imports, claiming they violate the Constitution.
Paul explained that the Founding Fathers intended for the power of taxation to rest with the House of Representatives.
Stuart Varney:
Now, since we know you’re not a fan of tariffs, do you want to see them struck down by the Supreme Court?
Rand Paul:
I want to see the Constitution have meaning. The Constitution said that taxes originate in the House. Tariffs are a tax. Anybody who tries to say tariffs are not a tax—just not serious people.
Our founding fathers wanted the taxes to start in the House because the House was elected every two years, as the closest to the people. But they were very, very specific. We fought the Revolution over taxation without representation.
A President cannot levy taxes without the approval of Congress. I think the Supreme Court is going to strike this down, and it’s not for any personal vendetta against the President. I like the President. I wish him and our country success. But we have to do things in an orderly, constitutional manner, or it can lead to chaos.
WATCH:
Rand Paul: “Tariffs are a tax. A president cannot levy taxes without the approval of Congress. It’s not any personal vendetta against the president. I wish him and our country success, but we have to do things in a Constitutional manner.” pic.twitter.com/XxOeDDIApE
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) November 6, 2025
President Trump, meanwhile, has cautioned that a Supreme Court ruling against his authority to levy tariffs could inflict devastating economic harm on the United States.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Trump said overturning the tariffs would require the U.S. to refund massive sums collected under his administration’s trade reforms.
Trump emphasized that the tariffs were part of a larger strategy to rebalance trade relationships and secure fairer deals for American workers.
Reporter: Before the Supreme Court issues a ruling, it could be several weeks, are you going to lay out any new additional tariffs before?
Trump: I don’t want to talk about it. I’m going to hope that we win. I can’t imagine that anybody would do that kind of devastation to our country. You know, we’d have to pay back trillions of dollars. We’ve taken in trillions. We haven’t taken in billions. We’ve taken in trillions of dollars.
We’ve made trade deals based on that that give us, as an example, European Union, $950 billion; Japan, $650 billion; South Korea, $350 billion. Without this, we’re not talking about that kind of money. And they’re okay. They’re satisfied. They love us. I just left. They all love us. So, it’s not like we’re such bad people, but they were doing it to us until I came along.
At the heart of the case is whether the President can use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to impose tariffs unilaterally after declaring a national emergency to reduce the U.S. trade deficit.
In May, the Court of International Trade in New York ruled that President Trump exceeded his authority under IEEPA. The Department of Justice immediately appealed, but in August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the lower court’s decision.
Now, the case heads to the Supreme Court, which will decide whether the President of the United States can exercise broad executive powers to impose tariffs during a declared national emergency.
The post Rand Paul Says Supreme Court Should STRIKE DOWN Trump’s Tariffs: ” Tariffs Are a Tax. I Want to See the Constitution Have Meaning” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.