25 U.S. states sue Trump administration over new tariffs

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade, seeks to block tariffs of 10% and 12.5%, have them declared illegal, and recover duties already collected.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said the administration was attempting to reimpose broad import taxes after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an earlier tariff regime.

“After losing at the Supreme Court, the federal administration is again trying to raise taxes on families and businesses with another round of illegal tariffs. The president doesn't have the power to impose sweeping tariffs. @GovKathyHochul and I are suing. Again,” James wrote on X.

The states argue the tariffs, imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, affect 99.4% of U.S. imports and exceed the authority granted by Congress. The coalition includes New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, Wisconsin and 19 other states, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

The White House defended the measures, saying they are intended to address foreign governments' failure to prevent imports made with forced labor.

"The United States is using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden U.S. commerce," White House spokesman Kush Desai said.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had announced plans to launch a Section 301 investigation into the European Union over what he described as discriminatory fines imposed on American technology companies.