WASHINGTON, DC – Following the conclusion of oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Democratic AGs took to TV to discuss their continued fight in challenging Trump’s implementation of illegal tariffs and expanded on how American businesses and consumers are paying the price for the administration’s abuse of power.

“We are fighting these illegal Trump tariffs because they are taxes on our people,” AG Mayes told CNN This Morning. “They are having a devastating impact on the state of Arizona and states across the nation, and they are flatly illegal.”

Oregon AG Dan Rayfield and Arizona AG Kris Mayes on Katy Tur Reports:

• “We know that small businesses are already going out of business because of these tariffs,” AG Mayes said. “Large businesses are being impacted, but especially consumers who are increasingly seeing their prices go up at the grocery store […] we are headed into a difficult Thanksgiving and holiday season because of these tariffs and these taxes. And so, that’s why we thought it was so important to bring this case […] to the United States Supreme Court, and we’re really happy with the arguments that we made.”
• “I heard […] skepticism by, I would say, a majority of the justices about the fact that this president does not have unilateral authority to impose these taxes on the people of this country.,” AG Mayes added. “We’ve fought a revolutionary war over this issue: taxation and tariffs without representation.”
• “We have an affordability crisis,” AG Rayfield said. “And in the same sentence, this president, in his infinite wisdom, is yanking back food assistance. He’s yanking back health care. This is not the America that anyone I know voted for last November. And it’s a betrayal of trust for all of us.”
• “He came up with a wild idea because he didn’t like[…] those safeguards that Congress put in place,” AG Rayfield said. “And when you’re told by your lawyers, which I’m sure happened, that this is not the right way to do things, and you do it anyway, and you cause harm to the American people, you’re responsible for that harm.”

Arizona AG Kris Mayes on CNN This Morning:

• “We’re going to fight this. We’re going to present our case to the United States Supreme Court, and we’re going to ask the court to invalidate these tariffs and to help our economy in the process.”
• “And this is an incredibly important one to fight for. And I believe, and I think our other Democratic AGs believe that this is a court that still believes in the rule of law and that believes in the separation of powers. And that is what this case is about.”
• “We are both the top law enforcement officers of our state, but we’re also the top legal officers of our state. And when any president, whether they’re a Democrat or a Republican, violates the Constitution or violates the law or harms our states, it’s our job to stand up for our people. And that is what we’re doing.”

Oregon AG Dan Rayfield on Bloomberg TV:

• “This is one of the easiest decisions that I’ve made in my tenure as attorney general, I don’t care what community you are in in the United States. We have an affordability crisis in this country. And we have a Trump administration that is taking actions that is exacerbating that problem.”
• “It was impacting us as taxpayers, and when the state is paying more for various things, that means that’s less money for schools. There was a dramatic impact. We have a revenue decrease as a result of these tariffs.And again, that resulted in less money for essential services that we provide for Oregonians. This is going on across this country.”
• “So it’s a very easy decision that when you’re doing something unlawful, and we have a legal angle, and Oregonians are being harmed, we’re gonna file a lawsuit.”

California AG Rob Bonta on MSNBC: 

• “As Americans know, their prices have gone up. As businesses know, their costs have gone up. Jobs are being lost, and economic activity is being harmed in California alone.”
• “So a lot at stake here. And if you look at the legal basis for the tariffs, there really is none that. Trump relies on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, IEPA, and it never mentions the word tariffs once. It’s never been used in its nearly 50 -year existence to ever impose tariffs…”
• “And I believe the law is clear that the text, the plain unambiguous language of the statute, as well as the history and the precedent, and I believe that the U .S. Supreme Court will strike down these tariffs because there’s no legal authority to impose them by the President of the United States.”

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