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On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state’s intention to initiate a lawsuit against President Trump’s authority to implement extensive tariffs that have sparked a global trade conflict.
This legal action will contend that Trump’s invocation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to levitate tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, as well as to impose a blanket 10% tariff on all imports, exceeds the scope of lawful executive power. The act is intended to empower the President to suspend and regulate financial transactions in response to foreign threats.
The lawsuit, set for submission to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, will assert that such tariff implementations necessitate Congressional approval, according to a statement from Newsom’s office.
“No other state will be more affected by this than California,” Newsom remarked during a press briefing held in the Central Valley, alongside California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Bonta echoed these concerns, stating, “We’ve already received notifications from vendors indicating they plan to shift the financial burdens of Trump’s tariffs onto the state of California.”
Notably, this legal challenge marks the 14th lawsuit California has filed against the Trump administration within a span of less than 14 weeks. Bonta emphasized, “We are seeking judicial intervention to restrain the President’s actions.”
Trump has offered various rationales for the tariff hikes, arguing that they aim to promote U.S. manufacturing and curb the influx of illicit fentanyl. California’s decision to file this lawsuit comes amid fluctuating tariff measures introduced by the Trump administration. Recently, the government imposed significantly high “reciprocal” tariffs on several nations for a brief period before suspending most of them for 90 days, although the 10% tariff on most imports remains in effect, with tariffs on Chinese imports increasing to a staggering 145%.
Governor Newsom pointed out that these tariffs have led to increased costs, resulting in billions of dollars in losses for California, which boasts the largest state economy and plays a crucial role as a major goods exporter.
“No state stands to lose more than California due to these measures,” Newsom asserted.
With this lawsuit, California becomes the pioneering state to legally challenge the Trump administration over its tariff policies. The state is seeking an urgent court order to prevent the enforcement of these tariffs.
This announcement follows Newsom’s recent appeal to have California’s exports excluded from retaliatory tariffs, yet no agreements have been disclosed as of now.
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