US: 12 states sue Trump administration over tariffs

Twelve states on Wednesday brought legal action against the US President Donald Trump's administration in the US Court of International Trade in New York.

The states want to halt the federal government's tariff policy, arguing it is unlawful and has brought chaos to the US economy.

What does the lawsuit ask for?

The lawsuit said the policy put in place by President Donald Trump has left the national trade policy subject to Trump's "whims rather than the sound exercise of lawful authority."

The states listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit were Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont.

The lawsuit challenges Trump's assertion that he can arbitrarily impose tariffs based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It asks the court to declare the tariffs as illegal and to block government agencies and officers from enforcing them.

The litigation maintains that only Congress has the power to impose tariffs. It says the president can only invoke the emergency act when there is an "unusual and extraordinary threat" from abroad.

"By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy," the legal action said.

In a statement, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Trump's tariff scheme was "insane." She added that it was "not only economically reckless — it is illegal."

California blazes legal trail

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, last sued the Trump administration in US District Court in the Northern District of California over the tariff policy. He said his state, as the largest importer in the country, could lose billions of dollars in revenue.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded to that lawsuit, saying the administration "remains committed to addressing this national emergency that's decimating America's industries and leaving our workers behind with every tool at our disposal, from tariffs to negotiations."