President Trump was sued Thursday above the 20 percent tariffs he put on Chinese products in the days preceding Wednesday’s broader announcement .
This represents the initial recognized legal challenge against Trump's tariffs, fulfilling a campaign pledge he made. and rattled financial markets .
The lawsuit challenges Trump’s application of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), asserting that this statute permits actions like asset freezes and related economic penalties, rather than imposing tariffs.
“The lawsuit argues that Congress enacted the IEEPA to address foreign emergencies, not to provide presidents with unlimited authority to shape domestic economic policies,” it says.
The lawsuit was initiated by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), a conservative legal advocacy organization, on behalf of Simplified, a Florida-based small enterprise specializing in planners, which also imports goods from China.
Submitted to the federal court in Pensacola, Florida, the lawsuit requests a judge to rule Trump’s Chinese tariffs as illegal and seeks an injunction against their enforcement.
Trump first enforced a 10 percent tax In a February 1 executive order regarding Chinese products, this amount was later doubled with another directive released on March 3.
Both preceded Trump’s more extensive tariff announcement on Wednesday, which imposes A 10 percent overall tariff On imports to the U.S. and increased rates for numerous countries, it imposed an extra 34 percent tariff on China, resulting in a cumulative rate of 54 percent.
"But throughout the nearly 50-year history of the IEEPA, no prior president has utilized it to levy tariffs. This isn’t unexpected, as the legislation doesn't even reference tariffs, let alone indicate that it empowers presidents to taxed American citizens," the lawsuit asserts.
The Hill has contacted the White House seeking comment.
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