Twenty-five states are suing the Trump administration to halt the latest round of global tariffs that took effect July 24.
Five things to know:
1. Duties ranging from roughly 10% to 12.5% took effect on imports from more than 80 nations, replacing a flat 10% global tariff President Donald Trump had imposed in February that was set to expire the same day.
2. Rather than relying on the emergency powers law the Supreme Court struck down earlier this year, the administration invoked Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, pointing to a forced-labor investigation opened in March into 59 countries and the European Union. Officials argue that weak enforcement of forced-labor import bans abroad puts U.S. businesses that comply with such rules at a competitive disadvantage.
3. The states’ lawsuit, filed with the U.S. Court of International Trade, argues the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act in enacting the tariffs, according to an Aug. 3 news release from New York Attorney General Letitia James. They argue the investigation was too short to satisfy Section 301’s requirements, covering 60 trading partners in under three months, compared with far longer reviews in past cases involving Brazil (nearly a year) and China (more than eight months).
4. Roughly 69% of medical devices marketed in the U.S. are manufactured solely overseas — including commonly used items such as anesthesia instruments, syringes, pulse oximeters and sterile drapes.
5. Joining New York in the lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
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