US states sue Trump administration over new tariffs on 60 trading partners
✓A coalition of 25 US states sued the Trump administration on Monday over new tariffs pegged at 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes struck down by the supreme court in February.
The states are asking the US Court of International Trade to halt the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order refunds of duties that have already been paid.
According to the states involved in the action, tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union imposed last month account for 99.4% of US imports. The Trump administration officials have charged that the countries have not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labor.
“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” New York attorney general Letitia James said in a statement.
“No matter how the administration tries to justify it, the law and our Constitution are clear that the president does not have the power to impose sweeping tariffs on whatever countries he wants,” James added.
In addition to New York, the states joining the action are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
The new tariffs went into effect in July after “Liberation Day” tariffs were ruled unconstitutional in February and a new set of temporary tariffs expired.
The latest proposal for tariffs uses Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a federal law meant to target countries that use forced labor. The new tariffs affect major trading partners including Canada, Japan, Norway, Taiwan and China.
The lawsuit follows a separate suit filed by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of two US small businesses who argue that Trump exceeded his executive authority with the new tariffs.
“The United States is using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden US commerce,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens US commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed. Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a legally durable tool since the President’s first term, and they remain so now.”
The New York governor, Kathy Hochul, and the state attorney general argue that the administration’s tariffs based on “a supposed investigation into countries’ efforts to combat forced labor do not satisfy the requirements of Section 301”, they said in a statement.
They said that the administration is using “forced labor” as an excuse to continue its policy of indiscriminately enacting damaging tariffs on a wide range of countries that lead to higher prices for their constituents.
“President Trump’s illegal tariffs are nothing more than a tax on hardworking families, driving up the cost of groceries, household essentials, building materials, and countless everyday goods that New Yorkers rely on,” Hochul said. “The Supreme Court has made it clear that this administration cannot ignore the law to impose sweeping tariffs.”
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · The Hill ↗
Twenty-five US states sued the Trump administration Monday over new tariffs imposed on goods from 60 trading partners. The tariffs, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, took effect in July under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision typically used to address unfair trade practices. The states argue these tariffs exceed presidential authority and violate constitutional limits, requesting the US Court of International Trade halt implementation, declare the tariffs unlawful, and order refunds of duties already collected. The administration states it is exercising lawful authority to address countries' failure to enforce prohibitions on goods made with forced labor. The lawsuit is one of multiple legal challenges to the tariffs; a separate suit was filed by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of US small businesses. The new tariffs cover approximately 99.4% of US imports from the targeted countries and trading blocs.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · The Hill ↗
A coalition of 25 US states sued the Trump administration on Monday over new tariffs pegged at 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes struck down by the supreme court in February.
The states are asking the US Court of International Trade to halt the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order refunds of duties that have already been paid.
According to the states involved in the action, tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union imposed last month account for 99.4% of US imports. The Trump administration officials have charged that the countries have not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labor.
“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” New York attorney general Letitia James said in a statement.
“No matter how the administration tries to justify it, the law and our Constitution are clear that the president does not have the power to impose sweeping tariffs on whatever countries he wants,” James added.
In addition to New York, the states joining the action are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
The new tariffs went into effect in July after “Liberation Day” tariffs were ruled unconstitutional in February and a new set of temporary tariffs expired.
The latest proposal for tariffs uses Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a federal law meant to target countries that use forced labor. The new tariffs affect major trading partners including Canada, Japan, Norway, Taiwan and China.
The lawsuit follows a separate suit filed by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of two US small businesses who argue that Trump exceeded his executive authority with the new tariffs.
“The United States is using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden US commerce,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens US commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed. Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a legally durable tool since the President’s first term, and they remain so now.”
The New York governor, Kathy Hochul, and the state attorney general argue that the administration’s tariffs based on “a supposed investigation into countries’ efforts to combat forced labor do not satisfy the requirements of Section 301”, they said in a statement.
They said that the administration is using “forced labor” as an excuse to continue its policy of indiscriminately enacting damaging tariffs on a wide range of countries that lead to higher prices for their constituents.
“President Trump’s illegal tariffs are nothing more than a tax on hardworking families, driving up the cost of groceries, household essentials, building materials, and countless everyday goods that New Yorkers rely on,” Hochul said. “The Supreme Court has made it clear that this administration cannot ignore the law to impose sweeping tariffs.”
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · The Hill ↗
Twenty-five US states filed suit Monday in the US Court of International Trade The tariffs are set at 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners The tariffs were imposed in July 2024 The administration cited Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 as legal authority Section 301 provisions typically target countries using forced labor in production The states are asking the court to halt the tariffs, declare them unlawful, and order refunds The tariffs affect major trading partners including Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and China These tariffs follow the Supreme Court's February 2024 ruling that earlier tariffs were unconstitutional The targeted countries and the EU account for 99.4% of US imports The states argue the tariffs violate the Constitution and exceed presidential authority The administration states it is exercising lawful authority to address forced labor practices The states characterize the tariffs as "a tax on hardworking families, driving up the cost of groceries" New York officials argue the administration is using forced labor as a pretext for broader protectionist tariffs
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · The Hill ↗
- A coalition of 25 US states filed suit Monday in the US Court of International Trade challenging 10%–12.5% tariffs on 60 trading partners imposed by the Trump administration in July
- The states argue the tariffs violate the Constitution and federal law, asking the court to halt them, declare them unlawful, and order refunds of duties already paid
- The administration justified the tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, citing countries' insufficient action against forced labor in imports
- These tariffs followed the Supreme Court's February ruling that earlier "Liberation Day" tariffs were unconstitutional
- The tariffs cover 99.4% of US imports and affect major trading partners including Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and China