Trump Administration Faces Lawsuit Over Chinese Import Tariffs
The NCLA initiated a lawsuit on behalf of a retailer based in Florida that specializes in home management products and imports materials from China.
On April 3, a nonprofit civil rights organization filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by imposing tariffs on Chinese imports.
NCLA represents Simplified, a retailer in Florida focused on home management products and materials imported from China, in this legal action.
The lawsuit names Trump, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Pete Flores, and CBP as defendants.
The IEEPA permits specific emergency measures—like imposing sanctions or freezing assets—to safeguard the United States from foreign threats, but it does not authorize the president to impose tariffs, as stated in the lawsuit.
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According to the lawsuit, “The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to impose tariffs and regulate foreign commerce. Presidents may levy tariffs only when given Congressional approval, which is provided through carefully crafted trade laws.”
Typically, these laws permit tariffs on specific industries or countries based on “determined criteria” and under particular “stipulated conditions,” requiring established procedures, as stated in the lawsuit. “Such laws necessitate prior investigations, thorough factual findings, and a close alignment between the statutory authority and the tariff’s extent.”
Trump has declared a state of emergency regarding China’s alleged role in facilitating the influx of illicit fentanyl into the United States.
The suit claims that this justification is merely a facade for imposing tariffs aimed at reducing U.S. trade deficits while increasing tax revenue.
“President Trump is attempting to circumvent these constraints by calling upon the IEEPA,” the plaintiffs assert in the legal filing. “However, in its nearly 50-year existence, no previous president has used the IEEPA to impose tariffs, which is unsurprising since the statute does not mention tariffs nor imply any authority for presidents to tax American citizens.”
The legal filing highlights that Trump’s tariffs on China will necessitate Simplified to incur higher tariff expenses, thereby inflating its costs and consequently raising prices for its customers, while also diminishing its profits.
The lawsuit requests that the court prevent the implementation and enforcement of the tariffs and reverse Trump’s alterations to the U.S. tariff schedule.
On April 2, Trump announced that goods imported from China, including those from Hong Kong and Macau, would be subjected to a 34 percent duty as part of his new tariff strategy, which adds to the 20 percent tariff imposed on China in February, totaling 54 percent in new levies.
“This will indeed be the golden age of America; it’s coming back, we’re going to rebound very strongly,” Trump proclaimed.
“China resolutely opposes this and will take necessary actions to safeguard our legitimate rights and interests,” the spokesperson declared.
The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for comments but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.
This report includes contributions from Reuters.
