Trump Tariffs Face Challenge from Coalition of State AGs
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings has joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration's latest tariffs on over 80 countries. The tariffs, which affect 99.4% of all US imports, are being challenged by the state attorneys as exceeding the administration's legal authority and violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
The lawsuit was filed in the US Court of International Trade under the title State of Oregon, et al. v. Trump, et al. This is not the first time the Trump administration's tariffs have been challenged; two previous lawsuits were rejected by the Supreme Court and a lower court respectively.
According to an analysis by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, nearly 90% of the costs of these tariffs will be borne by American consumers and businesses. The latest tariffs were imposed after the US Trade Representative investigated the European Union and 59 other countries under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
The coalition of attorneys general includes Oregon, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania have also joined the lawsuit.