California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Wednesday that the state is suing President Donald Trump over his recent tariffs, claiming that they are hurting the state and that he lacks the authority to enact them.
Bay Area public radio station KQED reported:
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are asking a federal court to pause the tariffs being levied against Mexico, China and Canada, as well as the across-the-board 10 percent tariff enacted by Trump.
The suit argues that the law the president is relying on — the International Economic Emergency Powers Act — has never been used before to justify tariffs, and that Trump needs Congressional authorization for actions with such broad economic consequences.
“President Trump’s unlawful tariffs are wreaking chaos on California families, businesses, and our economy — driving up prices and threatening jobs. We’re standing up for American families who can’t afford to let the chaos continue,” Newsom said in a written statement.
The lawsuit cites the U.S. Supreme Court’s “major questions doctrine,” a legal principle that assumes Congress must weigh in on issues of major political or economic significance. The Supreme Court relied on the doctrine to strike down laws related to pollution control and student loan forgiveness under Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, the governor’s office noted.
Newsom and the California legislature have set aside $50 million for legal action against the administration, despite asking it for $40 billion in aid to recover from recent wildfires.
The state is also borrowing billions of dollars monthly simply to pay for its Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, after Newsom expanded eligibility last year to include illegal aliens.
Newsom and Bonta hope to challenge Trump’s authority on the argument that while previous presidents have used their emergency powers to impose sanctions on foreign enemies, no president before Trump has done so to impose tariffs on trade.
It is unclear what the net economic effect of Trump’s tariffs will be, and the American public appears to be divided over the issue, with some applauding Trump’s leadership and others fearful of economic uncertainty.
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