12 US states sue Trump adminration over ‘chaotic and illegal’ tariff policy | World News
A total of a dozen US states filed a lawsuit in the Court of International Trade in New York on Wednesday, challenging former President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, labelling it unlawful and damaging to the American economy.
The lawsuit argues that Trump’s imposition of tariffs relied not on legal authority but on personal “whims”, and violates the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The states urged the court to declare the tariffs illegal and prevent federal agencies from enforcing them.
Plaintiff states include Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont.
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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes described Trump’s approach as “insane,” stating it was “not only economically reckless – it is illegal.” Connecticut’s Attorney General William Tong echoed the sentiment, calling the tariffs “a massive tax on Connecticut families and a disaster for Connecticut businesses and jobs.”
The lawsuit contends that only Congress has the constitutional authority to impose tariffs, and that the emergency powers cited Trump require an “unusual and extraordinary threat” from abroad — a threshold not met.
“ claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs… for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the president has upended the constitutional order,” the suit alleges.
Separately, California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit last week in federal court in California, warning the state could lose billions as the nation’s largest importer.Story continues below this ad
Responding to that lawsuit, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the Trump adminration was “committed to addressing this national emergency… with every tool at our disposal, from tariffs to negotiations.”
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