A United States Court of Appeals has declared most of the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump’s administration to other countries in the world. The measure represents a hard slapped for the foreign policy of the Republican, which has resorted to those levies to renegotiate trade agreements, but also as a pressure tool to foreign governments to obtain not necessarily economic objectives. At the moment, however, the tariffs will continue standing until mid -October.
The judges of the Court of Appeals have determined, by a majority of seven against four, that the president has exceeded in his use of emergency powers to apply tariffs. “The laws grant a significant authority to the President to adopt a series of actions in response to a national emergency declaration, but none of these actions explicitly include the imposition of tariffs or taxes,” says the Court.
With that decision, the Court maintains the opinion issued by the International Trade Court, which had also found that Trump should not have invoked an emergency powers of 1977, known as International Economic Economic Emergency Powers Law (IIEPA) to impose rates. The Court responded to a lawsuit filed by employees harmed by these encumbrances.
The case does not affect sectoral tariffs for products such as cars, aluminum or steel. It does concern other rates, such as those imposed against Mexico or China as a retaliation for what it considers the inaction of these countries to stop the traffic of fentanyl that enters the United States.
The appeal judges have sent the case again to that lower court to determine whether the opinion would apply to everyone affected by rates or only those involved in the lawsuit. Meanwhile, tariffs are still standing until the mid -October, to give the parties time to present an appeal before the Supreme.
The US President has immediately reacted to the Court’s decision. In a message on social networks, he has written that “all tariffs are still standing!” “An enormously partisan appeal court has said incorrectly that our tariffs should be canceled, but they know that the United States will win in the end. If these tariffs disappear, it would be a total disaster for the country,” he added.
Trump also insists that the disappearance of the taxes “would make us financially weak.” “If this decision was maintained, it would literally destroy the United States,” he adds.
The White House tenant also points out that his administration will appeal and the issue will end in the Supreme Court, where the conservative majority (six of the nine judges) usually put on his side. “With the help of the Supreme, we will use (the tariffs) for the benefit of our nation, and we will make the United States rich, strong and powerful again.”
