Pritzker demands $8.6 billion for Illinois residents after Supreme Court strikes Trump tariffs
Gov. JB Pritzker demanded an $8.6 billion refund for Illinois residents from President Donald Trump on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the White House’s broad array of foreign tariffs.
In an open letter to Trump, Pritzker decried the tariffs that “wreaked havoc on farmers, enraged our allies, and sent grocery prices through the roof.”
The largely Trump-appointed Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that the president’s tariffs breached taxing powers that are constitutionally reserved for Congress.
“On behalf of the people of Illinois, I demand a refund of $1,700 for every family in Illinois,” Pritzker wrote. “There are 5,105,448 households in my state, bringing the total damages you owe to $8,679,261,600.”
The letter was publicized by Pritzker’s campaign as the billionaire Democrat runs for a third term as governor, and is widely considered a 2028 presidential contender.
Pritzker, a longtime and frequent Trump critic, also called out the president during his State of the State address earlier this week in Springfield claiming the administration has cost Illinois residents $8.4 billion in withheld or canceled federal funding.
“These are not handouts. These are dollars that real Illinoisans paid in federal taxes and that have been constitutionally approved by our elected Democratic and Republican representatives in Washington,” Pritzker said during his Springfield speech.
Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday.