In this straight-shooting episode of On the Record, Christian Briggs walks you through the real story behind the week’s most consequential economic events: the federal shutdown, the Supreme Court showdown over tariffs, and why the top fifth of Americans are doing fine while the bottom half is getting squeezed. Briggs unpacks how the Trump-era tariffs—still in force across key product categories—have delivered much-needed revenue for a cash-strapped federal government but now face a constitutional stress test at the U.S. Supreme Court. Are tariffs a legitimate tool under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)—or are they, in effect, taxes that only Congress can authorize? He lays out the core arguments on both sides: the administration’s national-security and emergency rationale versus challengers’ claims that this is an unlawful delegation and a misuse of “emergency” authority.

Briggs explains what a ruling could mean for inflation, markets, and the fiscal picture: if tariffs are struck down, consumers may get short-term price relief, but the U.S. loses a critical revenue stream while still facing massive deficits and a near-$38 trillion debt. He also examines the shutdown’s real-world economics—from delayed data and skittish markets to the small businesses in federal hubs that live and die by weekday foot traffic. The result? The middle is muddling through, the top 20% still benefits from asset strength, and the bottom 50% bears the brunt—especially after the inflation shock that followed the Biden years’ spending surge.

But Briggs doesn’t stop at policy mechanics—he tackles first principles. If the Court decides the tariffs are unconstitutional, he argues, conservatives must respect the ruling, even if the ruling hurts in the short term; once you break the guardrails for “your” emergency, you’ve handed the other side a bigger crowbar. He also warns that AI-driven layoffs and automation are quietly amplifying the stress on lower- and middle-income households, even as productivity headlines soar—another reason to be sober, not sentimental, about what’s coming.

Bottom line: this episode offers a grounded, accessible briefing on how the shutdown, tariffs, and constitutional law collide with your cost of living—and why doing the right thing the right way matters. If you want clarity on what’s at stake—and how to position yourself before the ruling lands—you’ll find it here.