California Sues Trump Admin Over Tariffs
California has become the first state to sue the Trump administration over the sweeping tariffs President Trump has imposed.
Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the lawsuit on Wednesday. At a Central Valley almond farm, the governor criticized the tariffs as harmful to key California industries.
“No state is poised to lose more than the state of California,” Newsom said.
He claimed that 43 percent of California’s almonds, pistachios, and dairy products rely on exports, and said the uncertainty surrounding the tariffs is “pronounced and profound.”
The state is challenging the administration’s use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, which it has cited as justification for the tariffs. Newsom and Bonta argue that tariffs should be implemented by Congress, not the president, and accuse President Trump of creating “bogus” national emergencies to assert jurisdiction.
This marks the 14th lawsuit California has filed against the Trump administration since Trump took office. Newsom called the latest case “a lock,” and said he is working on establishing his own trade deals with other countries to get California-made products exempted from retaliatory tariffs.
In a statement to ABC News, White House spokesman Kish Desai criticized Newsom for trying to block the tariffs.
“Instead of focusing on California’s rampant crime, homelessness, and unaffordability, Gavin Newsom is spending his time trying to block President Trump’s historic efforts to finally address the national emergency of our country’s persistent goods trade deficits,” Desai said.
