By Tavon N. Thomasson
Special to the AFRO
tthomasson@afro.com
Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Maryland’s top fiscal officials on Feb. 27 sent a joint letter asking President Donald Trump to reimburse the state for economic harm they attribute to tariffs the Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional.
The joint letter from Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Treasurer Dereck Davis comes about a week after a 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Feb. 20 that found the Trump administration lacked authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping global tariffs. The officials are now asking the administration to reimburse the state for the tariffs’ economic impact on Marylanders.
“As Governor, Comptroller, and Treasurer of Maryland, it is our duty to safeguard the fiscal interests of this state and to ensure that when unlawful government action causes economic harm to Marylanders, we pursue every available avenue of accountability and restitution,” the letter states.
Maryland officials describe the state as “built on trade, innovation, and hard work,” arguing its economy’s reliance on international trade left it vulnerable to the effects of the Trump administration’s tariffs.
“When your Administration imposed these tariffs, Maryland businesses were forced to respond,” the officials wrote. “Companies that import goods paid directly at the border; those that rely on imported materials, equipment, and components absorbed higher input costs.”
The letter continued, “In both cases, those costs were passed along to consumers, raising prices for working families already confronting a difficult cost of living. Marylanders saw prices increase on a broad range of everyday goods, from groceries and household appliances to medical supplies and construction materials.”
Using U.S. Joint Economic Committee data, the letter estimates Marylanders’ financial burden at about “$4 billion in direct and indirect tariff-related costs during the period these unconstitutional measures were in effect.”
Moore and the state’s fiscal leaders argued tariffs took money out of Marylanders’ pockets–dollars that could have been spent or invested in growing businesses and supporting everyday household needs.
“If the federal government collected funds under an unconstitutional policy, it has a legal and moral obligation to return those funds to the people from whom they were taken,” the letter states.
As of publication, the Trump administration has not responded to the reimbursement request, though state leaders said in the letter they are willing to work with the administration on a path forward to support Maryland businesses and families impacted by the tariffs.