Lessons from the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act of 1930
April 7, 2025
By Mike Smiszek, Senior Trade Advisor, Braumiller Consulting Group
The various tariffs that President Trump has imposed since retaking office are based on delegated authority found in several existing statutes. But a century ago, tariffs were primarily the purview of Congress. One of the most controversial manifestations of U.S. tariff legislation (and of American legislation in general) was the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, signed into law by President Hoover shortly after the United States—and the world—fell into the black hole of the Great Depression.
