Wisconsin business groups split on impact of Supreme Court tariff ruling

On February 20, 2026, WisBusiness published an article quoting MITA’s President, Poonam Arora, on the Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs. 

Wisconsin business groups are divided on the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down some of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, offering split views on the impact.

After the court’s decision was handed down Friday morning, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce President and CEO Kurt Bauer said the development “adds to an already confusing tariff landscape.” He noted uncertainty is among the top threats to business success.

“Businesses will be left to wonder how this decision will impact their customers and vendors,” he said in a statement. “Sadly, there are more questions than answers at this point.”

Meanwhile, the head of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce is hailing the court’s decision. Dale Kooyenga, the group’s president and a former Republican state lawmaker, noted the Supreme Court has limited the president’s ability to use emergency powers for “sweeping, across-the-board” tariffs.

While he said “narrowly tailored” tariffs can be appropriate in some cases, Kooyenga argued taking a one-size-fits-all approach leads to higher costs across the economy.

“Broad and unpredictable tariffs function as a tax on American businesses and consumers, creating uncertainty that makes it difficult for companies to plan, hire and grow … Today’s ruling reinforces the importance of predictability in economic policy,” he said. “Businesses need stable policy decision-making to remain competitive and sustain jobs in the region.”

But Poonam Arora, president of the board for the Madison International Trade Association, noted the court hasn’t outlined whether or how refunds for the tariffs that have already been collected will be handled. She is director of global trade compliance and government contracts for Arnold Magnetics.

Arora also referenced Trump’s move Friday to impose a 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, though this would expire after 150 days without action from Congress, according to an overview from the Council on Foreign Relations.

“So, this is a lot of chaos and confusion at the moment,” Arora said in an email.

Trump on Friday slammed the justices behind the court’s decision, calling them a “disgrace to our nation.” He noted his administration has alternative avenues for replacing the tariffs the court has rejected.

“Foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years are ecstatic, they’re so happy, and they’re dancing in the streets but they won’t be dancing for long, that I can assure you,” Trump said during a press conference.

He added: “Could be more money, we’ll take in more money. And we’ll be a lot stronger for it. We’re taking in hundreds of billions of dollars. We’ll continue to do so.”

The court’s decision comes after the United States brought in $289 billion from gross tariffs and certain other excise taxes in 2025, according to a report from the Bipartisan Policy Center. That’s well above any other recent year, as the highest annual total going back to 2017 was about $116 billion, the report shows.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin also weighed in on the tariff development, arguing the president’s “reckless” trade war has led to higher costs for families and industry as well as disruption to agricultural markets.

“The on-again-off-again trade war has simply been chaos for Wisconsin families and businesses,” the Madison Dem said in a statement. “Today, we saw the Supreme Court rein in this lawless president and slap down his out-of-control tariffs, but the increased costs and uncertainty that Wisconsinites are still navigating is irreversible and will have long lasting impacts.”