A dozen states sue Trump to halt tariffs

President Donald Trump rolls out his tariffs — Only 37% of Americans now approve of Trump's handling of the economy, according to a new Reuters poll

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

What happened

Twelve states, led by Oregon, sued the Trump administration Wednesday in the U.S. Court of International Trade, seeking to halt tariffs they said were illegal, arbitrary and damaging to their economies. California filed its own lawsuit against President Donald Trump's tariff policy in federal court last week.

Who said what

Only Congress can impose tariffs, the dozen state attorneys general argued in their lawsuit. Trump has "upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy" 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."

States "don’t have the luxury of standing by" as Trump "pushes an unlawful policy that drives up prices at the grocery store and spikes utility bills," Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield (D) said in a statement. White House spokesperson Kush Desai called the lawsuit a "witch hunt" by Democrats and said the administration "remains committed to using its full legal authority to confront the distinct national emergencies our country is currently facing."

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What next?

Trump's poll numbers continue to slide — only 37% of Americans approved of his handling of the economy in a Reuters poll released Wednesday, while Gallup and a New York Times average of polls put his overall approval number at 44%, down from 52% in January. But "so far, the only force that has reliably prompted him to back down is Wall Street," The Wall Street Journal said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.