Cheat Sheet

September 11, 2025 

Supreme Court Takes Up Trump Reciprocal Tariffs: On Tuesday the Supreme Court announced it whether the bulk of President  Trump’s tariffs are legal, agreeing to quickly review a challenge to his signature economic policy in a case with worldwide financial and political implications.  According to their order the justices will hear arguments in early November, an unusually aggressive schedule that suggests the court will try to resolve the case quickly. The tariffs remain in place for now, even though a federal appeals court ruled that Trump exceeded his authority by imposing them. The decision will impact the trade and tariff  powers this President and his successors will have.

The Court will hear challenges to tariffs related Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement which impose levies of 10-50% on most US imports depending on the country they come from. The appeal also covers tariffs Trump imposed on Canada, Mexico and China in the name of addressing fentanyl trafficking. The White House has said that regardless of outcome, they will continue to pursue aggressive tariffs through other measures. Like most of the business community (and all of Washington, D.C.), the Hardwood Federation will be closely watching for the Court’s decision in November.

Regulatory Agenda Announced:  Last week the Trump Administration unveiled its first regulatory agenda for its second term. Known as the Unified Regulatory Agenda, this document previews the Administration’s priorities for all of the regulatory agencies and departments. The link to the agenda is here:  Spring Agenda

Notable among the actions is a planned revisitation of the 2024 rule that tightened the fine particulate matter standard from 12 parts per cubic microgram to 9. That action brings large swaths of the country into nonattainment for this pollutant, which subsequently restricts economic activity in those areas. The agenda also signals that the Administration plans on repealing the greenhouse gas emissions standards for electric utilities and establishing a new definition of “Waters of the U.S.” Also notable is the Administration intends to pursue a heat illness and prevention rule, although it is unclear what types of requirements on employers are being contemplated.

For the Department of the Interior, modifications for listing endangered and threatened species is in the queue as are changes to how critical habitat is designated. And finally, repeal of the roadless rule is listed under USDA’s planned regulatory actions. The Federation will monitor developments and weigh in as appropriate.

Shutdown Chatter:  With just 19 days left before the federal government funding expires, House and Senate leaders are exploring options on a Continuing Resolution (CR) to buy more time for negotiations on a longer term FY 2026 appropriations package. In the House, GOP leadership is floating a “clean” CR into December with the hopes of enticing at least a few Democrats to help pass such a measure through the lower chamber. Existing vacancies leave the GOP with effectively a one vote margin in the lower chamber. The Administration has signaled that it prefers a longer funding patch into 2026, but Democrats in the Senate are unlikely to go along with that approach. At events this week that the Federation attended, Democrat House Members predicted a shutdown of some duration, but the situation is fluid.