Governor Healey, 18 Other Governors Urge Congress to Block President Trump’s Illegal, Costly Tariffs

Governor Healey, 18 Other Governors Urge Congress to Block President Trump’s Illegal, Costly Tariffs 

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey joined Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Maine Governor Janet Mills, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Rhode Island Governor Dan Mckee, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers in a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to reject any efforts to codify President Trump's costly and illegal tariffs. The Governors are instead calling on Congress to act to rein in the President’s power to single-handedly enact tariffs, which are increasing costs for farmers, manufacturers, small business owners and families across the country. 

The Governors write, in part:  

“Since the imposition of broad tariffs under the claimed authority of [the International Emergency Economic Powers Act], our states have seen the consequences ripple through every sector of our economy. Families and consumers are paying dramatically more for everyday goods, with independent economic analyses estimating that these tariffs have cost the average American family hundreds to over a thousand dollars per year in higher prices. Those dollars represent real sacrifices, such as fewer groceries, deferred medical care, and reduced savings. By late 2025, two-thirds of Americans had expressed concern about the impact of these tariffs on their finances.” 

Yesterday, Governor Healey sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Bessent demanding a $1,745 refund to every Massachusetts household for the financial harm caused by President Trump’s illegal tariffs. Even after the Supreme Court deemed them illegal, the President doubled down and proposed a new 10 percent tariff on global imports. 

Since the tariffs were announced, Governor Healey has spoken out against them. In an effort to curb the impact in Massachusetts, her administration launched the Massachusetts Tariff Response and Business Operations Support Initiative to align state resources to aid Massachusetts businesses, convened Massachusetts business leaders to discuss how tariffs were impacting them, and invited six Northeastern Governors and six Canadian Premiers to the State House to discuss regional collaboration.  

The full letter can be read here.