Gov. Pritzker, Governors Across Country Urge Congress to End Trump’s Illegal Tariffs on Working Families

CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined a coalition of 19 governors from across the country urging congressional leaders to take action following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling which found that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.

In a joint letter to Congressional leadership, the Governors warned that sweeping tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration over the past year have caused significant economic harm to working families and businesses — raising costs and creating uncertainty for farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses. The Governors urged Congress to reject any effort to codify the tariffs invalidated by the Supreme Court and instead enact meaningful guardrails that restore Congressional oversight.

Gov. Pritzker also sent his own letter to congressional leadership urging them to pass the Tariff Refund Act of 2026, legislation that would return unlawfully collected tariffs to American families and businesses with interest and prioritize relief for small businesses that were hardest hit by the policy.

Last month, Gov. Pritzker sent President Trump an invoice requesting $1,700 back for every Illinois household, representing the estimated cost of the tariffs to families in the state. With 5,105,448 households in Illinois, that total amounts to approximately $8.7 billion paid by Illinois residents alone. In his letter, Gov. Pritzker wrote that Illinois families paid the price through higher grocery bills and rising consumer costs, while farmers saw export markets disrupted and manufacturers and small businesses absorbed increased production and supply chain expenses. ​

Gov. Pritzker and Illinois leaders will continue to stand up and speak out for residents. Last week, Illinois joined 23 other states in filing suit against the Trump Administration’s latest effort to impose tariffs this time through a separate law that would impose a 15% tariff on most worldwide products – arguing once again that the President has exceeded its authority and violated the Constitution's separation of powers.

Please find both letters below.

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