12 American states appeared before the judiciary yesterday, Wednesday, with the additional customs duties imposed by President Donald Trump, accusing him of bypassing his constitutional powers without referring to Congress and threatening the stability of the American economy.
The New York Prosecutor Litia James, from 11 US states, filed a lawsuit against Trump against the backdrop of the widely imposed customs duties.
According to the court documents revealed by the Politico newspaper, the 12 states – New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and also California – stressed that Trump “turned the constitutional system upside down” by imposing huge taxes without the approval of Congress.
Accusations of bypassing powers
The lawsuit is based on the fact that the 1977 International Economic Emergency Law, which Trump used as an excuse to impose 10% fees on all imports to the United States, is not granted by the authority to impose public and comprehensive customs duties without an explicit mandate of Congress.
“Through his claim to have the authority to impose comprehensive customs duties, changing on any product for any reason, the president disrupted the constitutional system and drowned the American economy in chaos,” the text of the lawsuit said.
“These fees are not only economically reckless, but also illegal. The damage is not theoretically, it is actually happening, and prices are starting to rise, and the trade and tourism movement has declined significantly,” said Arizona Chris Mais, General Prosecutor Chris Mais at a press conference.
Tangible economic impact
The states reported that the imposed customs duties have caused great increases in the prices of basic equipment and supplies, which led to disturbances in supply chains and raising the cost of living for citizens.
“This is the biggest federal tax increase in the history of the United States, and New York will not stand idle while Trump pushes the country towards stagnation,” said New York Cathy Hochol’s Government.
According to the lawsuit, the port of Los Angeles, one of the largest international trade centers in the country, witnessed a sharp decline in the freight movement, while major companies began to reduce their import from abroad to avoid additional costs.
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Trump administration response
On the other hand, White House spokesman, Kush Disai, defended Trump’s customs policy, saying that the president “uses his full legal powers to face emergency threats, including illegal immigration, fentian flow and the growing trade deficit.”
“Once again, Democrats like Leitia James prefer to prosecute Trump’s prosecution instead of protecting their voters from real threats,” he added.
Trump insists that customs duties are an effective negotiation tool to restore balance to international trade relations, saying in a previous speech this month: “Our country has been looted for decades from friendly and enemy countries alike, and this will not happen anymore.”
This is the first time that the international economic emergency law is used to impose customs duties in this vast way, which opens the door to a judicial battle that may draw the limits of the president’s powers in economic issues. Although the American International Trade Court rejected an emergency request to stop the collection of fees, the main trial is still in place.
It is expected that the lawsuit will take several months, and perhaps years, especially since the temporary period for some fees ends in July, which puts the judicial system in front of an unprecedented test in drawing the borders of the executive.
