---
title: "Former U.S. Treasury Secretary says Trump's use of emergency powers to impose tariffs is \"highly problematic\""
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/264329556.md"
description: "Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers criticized Trump's use of emergency powers to impose tariffs, calling it \"deeply problematic.\" He pointed out that Trump's tariff measures do not reflect special circumstances, and the president should be able to persuade Congress to implement such policies directly. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear cases challenging these tariffs, with the Trump administration arguing that the president has the authority to impose tariffs under a 1977 law to address national trade deficits and fentanyl-related issues"
datetime: "2025-11-05T02:20:39.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/264329556.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/264329556.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/264329556.md)
---

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# Former U.S. Treasury Secretary says Trump's use of emergency powers to impose tariffs is "highly problematic"

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers pointed out that President Donald Trump's use of emergency powers to impose tariffs is "problematic"; meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is about to hear a case challenging these tariffs.

In an interview, Summers stated that Trump's imposition of import tariffs "does not reflect any special event—such as the 9/11 attacks or a collapse of the dollar." More broadly, Summers indicated that if such actions were justified, the president should be able to persuade Congress that they are correct and should do so in a direct manner.

The Trump administration is set to argue before the Supreme Court on Wednesday that under a law from 1977, the president has the authority to impose a wide range of tariffs to address severe situations, including the national trade deficit and the large-scale deaths and addiction related to fentanyl imports.

Summers remarked that defining an emergency as the president's concerns about the current economic situation and hoping to use tariffs as a tool is quite problematic, considering our traditions

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