- SAN FRANCISCO — A coalition of 12 US states sued US President Donald
Trump's administration over "illegal tariffs" in the US Court of
International Trade in New York.
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- Attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and
Vermont on Wednesday filed the lawsuit to seek a court order to block the Trump
administration from enacting the tariffs.
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- The lawsuit said the policy has left the national trade
policy subject to Trump's "whims rather than the sound exercise of lawful
authority," asking the court to declare the tariffs illegal and to block
government agencies and officers from enforcing them, Xinhua news agency
reported.
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- It noted the US President can only invoke the Emergency
Act when there is an "unusual and extraordinary threat" from abroad.
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- "By claiming the authority to impose immense and
ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the US 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," the legal action said.
Read: Trump administration embroiled in standoff with judges raising threats of contempt proceedings
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- "Congress has not granted the President the
authority to impose these tariffs and therefore the administration violated the
law by imposing them through executive orders, social media posts, and agency
orders," New York Attorney General Letitia James' office said in a
statement.
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- "His tariffs are unlawful and if not stopped, they
will lead to more inflation, unemployment, and economic damage," said
James.
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- "President Trump's reckless tariffs have skyrocketed
costs for consumers and unleashed economic chaos across the country," New
York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Wednesday.
