A coalition of 25 US states has launched a legal challenge against the administration of US President Donald Trump, seeking to block new tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on goods imported from 60 different trading partners. These measures, which took effect in July, target major global economies including the UK, China, and the European Union, as well as nations such as Japan, Brazil, and Taiwan. The administration claims the duties are necessary to address failures in tackling forced labour, citing Section 301 of the 1974 US Trade Act.
According to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), these duties apply to 99.4% of US imports. In a legal document obtained by the media, the coalition of Democratic states characterized the administration's decision as "arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law." The lawsuit further alleges that the administration is using the issue of forced labour as a mere pretext to maintain an illegal tariff scheme, arguing that the scope of the duties contradicts the USTR's own stated objectives.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the policy, labeling the tariffs as "nothing more than a tax on hardworking families." She pointed to previous legal setbacks, noting that the US Supreme Court had struck down similar "Liberation Day" tariffs imposed in April of last year, a decision that resulted in tens of billions of dollars in refunds to affected companies. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield echoed these concerns, stating that the administration is attempting to inflict chaos on businesses and families. "We're all paying the price for these unlawful tariffs, not foreign governments," he added.
White House spokesman Kush Desai defended the move, stating that the administration is exercising its lawful authority to address practices that place a burden on American businesses. Meanwhile, the international response has been largely negative, with several of the affected trading partners having expressed disappointment over the new tariffs, with Brazil and Japan's governments separately calling the measures "unjustified." China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning dismissed the tariffs as an excuse for political manipulation. As the US continues to investigate 16 additional countries regarding manufacturing overcapacity, some analysts have also questioned how countries would be able to show that they had properly addressed the forced labour claims.
