( The Hill ) — President Trump was sued Thursday above the 20 percent tariffs he put on Chinese products in the period preceding Wednesday’s broader announcement.
This represents the initial recognized legal battle against Trump's tariffs, which have kept a campaign pledge and unsettled financial markets.
The lawsuit challenges Trump’s application of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), contending that this legislation permits actions like asset freezes and related economic penalties rather than tariffs.
“The lawsuit asserts that Congress enacted the IEEPA to address foreign emergencies, rather than to provide presidents with unrestricted authority to shape domestic economic policies,” it says.
The lawsuit was filed 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 introduced a 10 percent tariff on Chinese products through an executive order dated February 1st. And subsequently increased it twofold via another directive released on March 3rd.
Both preceded Trump’s more extensive tariff announcement on Wednesday. This imposes a 10 percent overall tariff on goods entering the U.S., with increased rates for numerous nations. 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 implement tariffs. This isn’t unexpected, as the legislation doesn’t make any reference to tariffs and provides no indication that it grants presidents the authority to levy taxes on U.S. citizens," the lawsuit claims.
The Hill has contacted the White House seeking comment.
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