Twelve state attorneys general filed suit Wednesday in the U.S. Court of International Trade, launching a direct challenge to the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs. The coalition alleges the tariffs will raise prices on everyday goods, burden working families, and violate constitutional limits on presidential power.
Led by Oregon, Arizona, and Colorado, and joined by Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont, the states argue that President Trump’s executive orders exceed his legal authority and sidestep Congress’s exclusive power to impose taxes and regulate trade.
The lawsuit targets four presidential orders that impose tariffs of 145 percent on most Chinese imports, 25 percent on goods from Canada and Mexico, and 10 percent on products from dozens of other countries. A further escalation, scheduled for July 9, would increase duties on imports from 46 additional trading partners. The states contend these measures are not authorized by Congress and do not meet the statutory threshold for emergency action under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
In their complaint, the attorneys general assert that the president’s invocation of emergency powers lacks both legal and factual basis. “IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs except to deal with an actual, imminent, and specific threat to national security,” the complaint states. “The statute does not permit the President to substitute his own economic policy preferences for the will of Congress.”
The complaint further alleges that the administration violated the Trade Act of 1974 by bypassing procedural safeguards such as public notice, comment periods, and the requirement for International Trade Commission findings. The states argue that the tariffs were imposed without the analysis or transparency required by law. “An emergency that persists indefinitely and applies to every major trading partner is no emergency at all—it is a pretext for reshaping trade policy by executive fiat,” the filing states.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield emphasized the human consequences. “When a president pushes an unlawful policy that drives up prices at the grocery store and spikes utility bills, we don’t have the luxury of standing by, especially when so many Oregonians live on fixed incomes,” Rayfield said. “These tariffs hit every corner of our lives, from the checkout line to the doctor’s office, and we have a responsibility to push back.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes called the policy “economically reckless” and “illegal.” She added, “Arizona cannot afford President Trump’s massive tax increase. No matter what the White House claims, tariffs are a tax that will be passed on to Arizona consumers.”
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser underscored the constitutional issue. “Under the Constitution, only Congress has the power to tax and impose tariffs, and there is no ‘emergency’ that justifies the Trump tariffs,” he said. “They will increase inflation, result in nearly 800,000 lost jobs, and shrink the American economy by $180 billion a year.”
The case raises a central question in contemporary American governance: how far a president can go in reshaping trade policy without explicit legislative approval.
Economic experts have echoed the states’ concerns. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that the tariffs could increase inflation and slow employment growth, adding complexity to the Fed’s mandate to ensure price stability and full employment. The International Monetary Fund has also flagged the tariffs as a potential disruption to global trade, contributing to higher inflation in several countries.
The states asked the court to strike down the tariffs and block federal agencies from enforcing them. Their complaint seeks a declaratory judgment that the executive orders are unlawful and a permanent injunction against their implementation.
At least two other lawsuits aiming to derail Trump’s tariffs have been filed: one by California and another by a group of businesses.
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