Farmers, especially soybean producers, are "living with the damage" done by tariffs and the resulting trade war as they face decisions on what crops to plant this year.
"The big thing that really sticks out for most of us in agriculture are the tariffs that are on our neighbors in Canada and Mexico, and then also with our largest trading partner, China," said Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union. "We have seen the damage, and we're living with the damage from that move — from those tariffs, the trade war."
Levendofsky spoke with The Capital-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, days before the U.S. Supreme Courtstruck down much of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Feb. 20. The case specifically dealt with the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs.
"The President asserts the independent power to impose tariffs on imports from any country, of any product, at any rate, for any amount of time," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the 6-3 opinion.
But the U.S. Constitution provides Congress with the power to impose taxes — including tariffs — and "did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch," Roberts said. The court held "that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs."
