Twelve states have initiated legal proceedings against the administration of US President Donald Trump at the US Court of International Trade in New York. The states aim to halt the federal tariff policy, contending it is unlawful and has disrupted the US economy.
The lawsuit argues that the policy enacted by President Trump has left national trade policy vulnerable to Trump's "whims rather than the sound exercise of lawful authority." The plaintiff states include Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont.
The legal action challenges Trump's claim that he can impose tariffs arbitrarily under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It requests the court to declare the tariffs illegal and to prevent government agencies and officers from enforcing them.
The litigation asserts that only Congress has the authority to impose tariffs, and the president can only invoke the emergency act when facing an "unusual and extraordinary threat" from abroad. The lawsuit states, "By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy."
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes described Trump's tariff scheme as "insane," adding that it is "not only economically reckless — it is illegal."
California Governor Gavin Newsom previously sued the Trump administration in the US District Court in the Northern District of California over the tariff policy. Newsom noted that California, as the largest importer in the country, could face substantial revenue losses.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded to the lawsuit, stating that the administration "remains committed to addressing this national emergency that's decimating America's industries and leaving our workers behind with every tool at our disposal, from tariffs to negotiations."
Source: DW