Two US small businesses on Friday challenged President Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs on goods from 60 trading partners, arguing the new policy exceeds the president’s authority to tax imports. The lawsuit, filed in the US trade court in New York, contends that the tariffs require more detailed country-specific findings about “forced labour” to be legally justified.
The plaintiffs are backed by a non-profit legal group that successfully sued over previous rounds of tariffs. They argue that President Trump is trying to reimpose duties that were already ruled illegal by the US Supreme Court. The Trump administration imposed new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on 60 nations, including the European Union, over allegations that they are not doing enough to stop the export of goods produced with forced labour.
The new tariffs took effect just as a temporary 10% global tariff expired. Trump has made tariffs a central pillar of his foreign policy, using them as leverage to negotiate trade deals. This legal challenge could set a precedent on the limits of presidential power in trade matters.
Article and image source: scmp.com