‘Breath of relief,’ WA business owner says on SCOTUS ruling on Trump tariffs

WA leaders react to Supreme Court ruling on Trump's tariffs

The Supreme Court laid down a major ruling in striking down President Trump's sweeping tariffs, and small business owners in Washington state say the impact has already been felt.

SEATTLE - A U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down parts of former President Donald Trump’s broad tariff strategy is drawing sharply divided reactions from Washington state leaders and small business owners who say they have been living with the economic fallout for months.

Saiwash Popal, owner of Jet City Device Repair in Seattle, said the tariffs forced him to quickly rethink how he runs his business. "We immediately had to do some emergency measures," Popal said.

Popal imports most of his parts from Hong Kong. When tariffs were imposed, he said he was warned that a part that typically cost $50 could jump to "100 or $150 for that same part."

"It was a very bleak time," Popal said.

Instead of placing biweekly orders and keeping just a few weeks of inventory on hand, Popal said he stocked up for "six to 12 months," tying up significant capital to avoid sudden spikes.

He said repair shops faced an additional challenge because new smartphones were exempt from tariffs, while repair parts were not.

"It was like working against us," Popal said. "Sometimes it’s going to cost even more than a new phone to get your phone repaired."

Dig deeper:

Despite rising costs, he said his business absorbed much of the increase rather than passing it on to customers.

"If we can afford to make some sacrifices as a business, we’ll do that happily," Popal said.

When the Supreme Court ruled that parts of the administration’s tariff actions were unlawful, Popal said, "It was a breath of relief."

"I feel like we’re going to see a swing in the right direction," Popal said.

Reaction among elected officials was split.

Local perspective:

State Rep. Jim Walsh, a Republican, said the decision reinforces the need for precision in trade policy.

"Tariffs are a scalpel," Walsh said. "They are not a sledgehammer."

Walsh also disputed claims that tariffs significantly contributed to the high cost of living.

"Nobody in the real world thinks that tariffs on international trade are the reason for the high cost of living in Washington," Walsh said.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, praised the ruling.

What they're saying:

"Today’s decision is so important because consumers all over our state and the country have been hurt. Small businesses, manufacturers, individual households have all had to pay higher prices on products that they can’t afford. We need to really be concerned about America’s competitiveness and thank God the court has given us some relief," Cantwell said.

The administration has indicated it may seek to impose similar tariffs under different legal authority, setting up the potential for continued legal and political battles.

Business owners like Popal, the uncertainty remains.

"We can’t be certain of the future," Popal said, but called the ruling "a big step in the right direction. At least there's one pressure point is relieved, right? If this goes in the right direction and continues to improve, at least there's one less thing pushing the burden on the consumers, and it has, by the way, 100% affected the consumers."

Governor Bob Ferguson's responsed to the decision via a statement saying, "Washington State demonstrated the damage of tariffs to the supreme court in our brief. We saw a drop in traffic at our ports. Our agricultural industry saw a steep drop in shipments. Costs for business increased. The full implementation of President Trump’s tariffs would have been devastating for Washington State. I'm grateful for our coalition who stood up for families, workers, and businesses." 

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