New Mexico joins lawsuit to block Trump's tariff policies
Apr. 23—New Mexico and 11 other states filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the Trump administration's authority to impose tariffs and arguing that the "ever-changing" policies have damaged the U.S. economy.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, contends that the U.S. Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the authority to collect tariffs.
President Donald Trump's tariffs, issued by executive orders, have "upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy," the suit alleges.
The suit adds to a growing list of legal actions New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed or joined in challenging Trump administration policies.
"These edicts reflect a national trade policy that now hinges on the President's whims rather than the sound exercise of his lawful authority," the suit contends.
The new lawsuit asks a three-judge panel to find that the tariffs are unlawful and block their implementation.
A message sent by The Associated Press to the Justice Department for comment was not immediately returned.
Torrez said in a statement Wednesday that the tariffs will increase prices nationwide.
"We were promised that prices would go down — but instead, these tariffs are driving up the cost of everyday goods for families across the country," Torrez said. "Without a legitimate state of emergency, the President does not have the authority to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs that hurt working Americans."
The new lawsuit challenges Trump's ability to impose tariffs based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The 1977 act gives the president authority to regulate some foreign transactions in response to an "extraordinary threat" from abroad.
States other than New Mexico listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit were Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New York and Vermont.
Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, sued the Trump administration in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California over the tariff policy, saying his state could lose billions of dollars in revenue as the largest importer in the country.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded to Newsom's lawsuit, saying the Trump administration "remains committed to addressing this national emergency that's decimating America's industries and leaving our workers behind with every tool at our disposal, from tariffs to negotiations."
New Mexico has now joined at least four lawsuits to block policy actions by the Trump administration.
Those suits have sought to block: an executive order limiting birthright citizenship for all U.S.-born children; Trump's freeze on federal grants and loans pending a review of the program; and actions by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.
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