When the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s tariffs policy earlier this year, Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama said what the president wanted to hear. “What the media won’t tell you is that President Trump’s tariffs work,” the GOP senator argued.

Even at face value, Britt’s rhetoric was difficult to take seriously. For one thing, there is no conspiracy among independent news organizations to deprive the public of accurate information. For another, there was all kinds of evidence showing the degree to which the Republican administration’s trade tariffs didn’t work.

But as the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal noted this week, there was a related problem that went largely overlooked at the time: While Britt touted the efficacy of the White House’s tariffs policy, she also pushed for exemptions to the policy that would have protected her own constituents in Alabama. From the report:

What Ms. Britt won’t tell you is that she was privately seeking exemptions 10 months earlier. That’s when her legislative director wrote an email, “Sen. Britt Alabama Trade Priorities,” seeking help for “specific Alabama manufacturers.” We obtained the email from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office via the Freedom of Information Act. The email begins by saying Ms. Britt “is supportive” of rebalancing trade. Then it moves to “four pressing issues,” each a plea for an Alabama company.

Pressed for an explanation on the apparent contradiction between Britt’s public and private efforts, the senator’s office emphasized committee hearings where she also raised the same concerns.

That’s fair, though it doesn’t negate the underlying point: Britt insisted that Trump’s tariffs “work” while simultaneously having made the argument that Trump’s tariffs wouldn’t work at all for key employers in her home state.

If all of this sounds familiar, it’s because Britt has plenty of company. In fact, in March 2025, shortly before Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement, NBC News reported on a wide variety of congressional Republicans — each of whom were broadly supportive of the White House and the president’s agenda — pleading for exemptions to Trump’s policy.

(For his part, the president declared via social media that there would be “No exemptions, no exceptions!” though it ultimately became clear that he didn’t mean it.)

It led the Journal’s editors to conclude, “Tariffs for thee, exemptions for me. Join the GOP club: In Mr. Trump’s first term, Sen. Josh Hawley lobbied for a carveout on saw blades, Rep. Mark Meadows on furniture wood, Rep. Andy Biggs on patio screens. Who else? When more records arrive, we’ll let you know.”

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