A coalition of states has announced a new lawsuit to stop President Trump's latest tariffs, according to Fox 26 Houston. Arizona's attorney general, speaking at a news conference, argued that the president does not have the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs because the Constitution gives the power to tax to Congress, not the executive branch.
The administration first claimed that emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act allowed it to impose tariffs on virtually every nation, the attorney general said. It has now turned to a third statute, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, in what she called another effort to force through unlawful tariffs.
The tariffs cover countries responsible for over 99% of all US imports and amount to an illegal tax on American consumers, workers and businesses, according to the attorney general. She said her office was again stepping forward to protect Arizonans.
Section 301 requires real investigations, real consultations with foreign governments and targeted solutions, she said, but that was not what happened. She said the administration rushed a pretextual investigation into more than 80 countries in just two and a half months, lumped dozens of economies into a handful of arbitrary tariff categories and produced no meaningful evidence.
The attorney general said the tariffs have already raised prices, pointing to higher grocery bills and more expensive inputs for small businesses. She cited restaurant owners who told her they were rationing tomatoes and salsa or watching the cost of vegetables and packaging eat into their profits.
The lawsuit is co-led by Arizona, Oregon and California, with 25 states signed on in total, according to Fox 26 Houston. The attorney general said it was the third time she had gone to court over what she described as illegal tariffs.
The coalition is asking the Court of International Trade to block the tariffs and declare them unlawful, the attorney general said. She added that the states had defeated the tariff scheme twice already and were prepared to do so again.