U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down tariffs implemented by former President Trump, which had been in place for the past year. The Court ruled that these global tariffs were unlawful.
In her statement, Senator Hirono said: “For the past year, Trump’s tariffs have wreaked havoc on small businesses and driven up costs for consumers, while doing nothing to help the U.S. economy. Trump’s tariffs were never meant to help the American people. They were conceived as another lever for Trump to consolidate power and intimidate our global partners—including some of our closest allies. Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what we’ve known all along, these tariffs are not only reckless, they are illegal. Today’s ruling is an important step forward for American consumers and businesses, and also for the rule of law. Now that the Court has ruled, this regime needs to expeditiously reimburse the businesses who have borne the cost for Trump’s disastrous trade war and lay out a plan to actually address the affordability crisis facing millions of Americans. The President must not seek to reimpose these tariffs using the pretext of some other authority.”
Senator Hirono has served on committees including Small Business & Entrepreneurship and Judiciary during her tenure in Congress. She has advocated for small businesses affected by tariff policies introduced during Trump’s administration by introducing legislation such as the Small Business Liberation Act and Small Business RELIEF Act in 2025. These bills aimed at exempting small businesses from broad tariff measures and reimbursing those impacted by increased costs.
Hirono also supported legal actions against these tariff policies by joining amicus briefs and backing plaintiffs seeking relief.
Beyond her legislative work on trade issues, Senator Hirono represents Hawaii in the U.S. Senate as its first female senator and as the first Asian American woman elected to this chamber. According to her official website, she works on issues affecting veterans, immigrants, minorities, and underserved communities.
Senator Hirono immigrated from Japan to Hawaii with her family when she was a child—a background that informs her advocacy efforts in Washington (official website). She holds degrees from both University of Hawaii at Manoa (Phi Beta Kappa) and Georgetown University Law Center (official website). Her office provides assistance with federal agency matters such as Social Security claims or immigration petitions (official website).
