Trump's 10 Percent Global Tariff Is Sued by 24 US States

US President Donald Trump/Photo: White House via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - A total of 24 states in the United States have sued President Donald Trump regarding new global tariffs of 10 percent that are considered to not meet legal requirements.

As reported by ANTARA from Kyodo, Friday, March 6, the lawsuit led by the attorneys general and governors of the Democratic Party was filed with the US International Trade Court on Thursday (5/3), while Trump plans to raise the tariff to 15 percent at the earliest this week.

On February 20, the Supreme Court ruled Trump overstepped his authority as president when he used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose retaliatory tariffs on many countries, as well as fentanyl-related levies on goods from China, Canada, and Mexico.

Trump did not obtain congressional approval before implementing the tariffs, even though tax-setting is a constitutional authority of the legislative branch.

In the latest lawsuit, the plaintiffs said the Republican president "once again used tariff powers he did not have" to "disrupt the constitutional order and cause chaos in the global economy."

The 10 percent tariff targeting most imports came into effect on February 24 under Article 122 of the 1974 Trade Law, which allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 15 percent for a maximum of 150 days to address a "large and serious" balance of payments deficit.

No previous president has used the provision to impose tariffs, and the plaintiffs argue Trump's interpretation of the rule is wrong.

They said the U.S. trade deficit is only one component of the balance of payments, but Trump is considered to have twisted the term.

The states that filed the lawsuit include California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Maryland, New York, and Virginia.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said the government would likely raise the global tariff temporarily to 15 percent this week.

He also hinted that the government was preparing a more permanent tariff for each country using Article 301 of the Trade Act, which allows the US to impose tariffs on foreign trade practices deemed unfair.

Article 301 gives the US government the authority to impose tariffs in response to foreign trade practices deemed unfair.

Trump previously used the provision to raise tariffs on Chinese goods when he started a trade war with the country during his first term.