Federal judge blocks 5 Trump tariff executive orders
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., sided with a Chicago-area toy company on Thursday, blocking five executive orders signed by President Donald Trump that imposed tariffs on Chinese imports.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras determined the International Economic Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize Trump to impose the tariffs in his executive orders.
Contreras granted a motion for a preliminary injunction, filed by the toy company, Learning Resources, Inc., which will be stayed for 14 days in case the administration decides to appeal the decision.
President Donald Trump's First 100 Days: Companies That Will Invest $1B Or More In The Us
Trump announced his "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariff plan on April 2, imposing a 10% baseline tariff on all countries.
In certain countries, hostile negotiations led to even higher levies, with taxes on Chinese imports reaching 145%.
Read On The Fox News App
Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Learning Resources, said in April the third-generation family business that had been manufacturing in China for four decades would face an almost 98% increase in its tariff bill.
He said the $2.3 million the company paid in 2024 would jump to $100.2 million in 2025.
Amazon Denies Tariff Pricing Plan That White House Called 'Hostile And Political'
"I wish I had $100 million," Woldenberg wrote in a statement. "Honest to God, no exaggeration: It feels like the end of days."
China produces 97% of America's imported baby carriages, 96% of its artificial flowers and umbrellas, 95% of its fireworks, 93% of its children's coloring books and 90% of its combs, according to a report from the Macquarie investment bank.
Grocery Giant Warns Its Suppliers That Supermarket Won't Be Accepting Tariff-related Price Hikes
On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled the administration overstepped its authority over tariffs under IEEPA.
"The Constitution assigns Congress the exclusive powers to 'lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,' and to 'regulate Commerce with foreign Nations,'" the court wrote in its opinion. "The question in the two cases before the court is whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 ('IEEPA') delegates these powers to the President in the form of authority to impose unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world."
Three judges, appointed by former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Trump, found IEEPA did not "confer such unbounded authority."
Donald Trump Should Be Praised For Signals He Might Cool Tariff Fight, Washington Post Editorial Praises
The Trump administration appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, but it is unclear what goods will be subject to tariffs in the meantime, Reuters reported.
"Foreign countries' nonreciprocal treatment of the United States has fueled America's historic and persistent trade deficits," White House spokesperson Kush Desai told FOX Business after the decision. "These deficits have created a national emergency that has decimated American communities, left our workers behind, and weakened our defense industrial base — facts that the court did not dispute."
"It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency," Desai added. "President Trump pledged to put America First, and the Administration is committed to using every lever of executive power to address this crisis and restore American Greatness."
FOX Business' Greg Wehner and Bill Mears, and Reuters contributed to this report.Original article source: Federal judge blocks 5 Trump tariff executive orders
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
Ukraine warns Trump admin Russia planning new offensive
A senior Ukrainian delegation visiting Washington, D.C., this week brought a warning of Russia's upcoming war plans on the country, urging greater pressure on Moscow to achieve a ceasefire and peace deal. Coming off the success of an audacious drone attack against Russian warplanes on Monday, the Ukrainian delegation urged greater U.S. military assistance to Kyiv and stricter sanctions on Russia on the path to bringing the war to an end. 'I think it's very important now to start to speak with Russia in the language of strength because it's one language which this country understands,' Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in a press conference Wednesday. 'It doesn't mean that Ukraine closes the door to continue the negotiations. But it's necessary that Russia coming to these negotiations really with the political will,' Yermak continued. Ukraine has criticized Russia's participation in two rounds of direct talks, most recently on Monday, as putting forward terms for ending the war amounting to Ukraine's capitulation and surrender. At the Ukrainian embassy on Wednesday, the delegation showed the press a presentation likely similar to what they presented to Senators and during other meetings they had in Washington. This included sharing a two-minute video showing drone video of the attack on Russian warplanes, maps of Russia's attack plans for later this year, and also data on Russia's limited advances on the frontline. 'The cost for every square kilometer for Russians is 167 killed in action, soldiers,' said Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of the Office of the President. 'That's why we think that Russia is not in the position that allows them to give some ultimatums and give us nothing but act of capitulation.' Palisa said that Russia is planning to occupy the rest of Donetsk and Luhansk regions by September 1 — territories in the east that Russia has largely occupied since 2014. He also said that Russia is planning to retake the region of Kherson and create a buffer zone by the end of 2025. Ukrainian forces control about 30 percent of the Kherson region following an offensive to liberate the territory in November 2022. Palisa added that Russia is planning to renew its offensive on Ukraine's southern coast, the river port city of Mykolaiv and the Black Sea port city of Odesa by the end of 2026. 'Here you can make an assessment, unfortunately they are not speaking about peace, they are preparing for war,' Palisa said. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced he held a 'good' phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that it would not lead to peace. Trump said Putin told him Russia would respond to Ukraine's drone attack. But immediately after posting about his phone call with Putin, Trump also posted on Truth Social a link to a Washington Post article with the headline 'Congress can give Trump the leverage to coerce Putin.' The article refers to legislation in the Senate imposing punishing sanctions on Russia and a tariff of 500 percent on countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products. The legislation, co-sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), has a veto-proof majority. Graham said on Wednesday that he wants to add a carve-out to the text to exempt countries from the 500 percent tariff if they have provided 'meaningful' support to Ukraine, even as they maintain economic ties with the Kremlin. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, special envoy of the president for sanctions, said the sanctions bill has the potential to deny Russia $60 billion in oil revenues, and that this equals about one year of the Kremlin's war budget. The delegation met earlier on Wednesday with senators on Capitol Hill and with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The delegation also met with Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, on Tuesday. Their pitch in Washington also included more calls for U.S. military support. Among the requests were more air defenses: Patriot Missile systems and Patriot interceptors. They also called for more F-16 fighter jets, air munitions, M142 HIMARS, missiles for HIMARS, howitzers, Javelin missiles, artillery rounds and armored vehicles. Yermak said that military cooperation with the U.S. continues despite Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth skipping the Ramstein meeting in Germany on Wednesday — the conference coordinating military assistance to Ukraine among nearly 50 countries. 'We discuss next steps and during these two days [in Washington] we have the opportunity to talk to the White House, State Department and the Hill about what we need,' he said.
Fox News
12 minutes ago
- Fox News
President Trump bans travel to US from several countries to block ‘dangerous foreign actors'
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping order blocking travel to the United States from nearly 20 countries identified as high-risk for terrorism, visa abuse, and failure to share security information. The new travel restrictions — announced under Executive Order 14161 — apply to nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen, all deemed "very high risk" due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and high visa overstay rates. TRUMP ADMIN MULLS NEW TRAVEL BAN, BUT NO DECISIONS MADE YET Seven more countries, including Venezuela, Cuba, and Laos, face partial restrictions. "President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson to Fox News Digital. She called the restrictions "commonsense" and targeted at countries that "lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information." Afghanistan, for example, has a student visa overstay rate of 29.3% and is controlled by the Taliban, a designated global terrorist group. Iran remains a state sponsor of terrorism and has refused cooperation with U.S. authorities. Libya, Somalia, and Yemen all lack functioning governments capable of issuing secure documents.
Washington Post
12 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Army leaders defend parade and border spending as Congress presses for answers
WASHINGTON — Army leaders on Wednesday defended spending as much as $45 million to add a parade to the service's 250th birthday celebration on June 14 in Washington, saying it will help boost recruitment, as Congress members argued that the money could be better spent on troops' barracks or other priorities. Members of the House Armed Services Committee also said they are concerned that the Defense Department is shifting about $1 billion from a variety of accounts — including base housing — to cover the costs of shoring up the defense of the southern border. Spending for the parade has become a flashpoint since it comes at a time when the Trump administration is slashing funding for personnel and programs across the federal government, including the Defense Department. While the Army has long planned for a festival on the National Mall to celebrate its 250th birthday, the parade was just recently added. President Donald Trump has long wanted a military parade in the city, after seeing an elaborate one in France on Bastille Day during his first presidential term, and June 14 is also his birthday. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., questioned whether the additional cost of the parade was appropriate since all the military services are facing 8% budget cuts, and said perhaps it could be used to improve troops' quality of life or warfighting capabilities. He prodded Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll on what he would prioritize if Congress wrote him a blank check for $45 million. Driscoll replied that he thinks the parade offers a chance to tell the public about the Army. 'I believe very specifically that telling that story will directly lead to a recruiting boom and will fill up our pipeline for the coming years,' he said. At the same time, he and Gen. Randy George, chief of staff of the Army, told lawmakers that the service has now met its recruiting goal for the year — with 61,000 recruits. Army officials have predicted for months that they would hit the target early after making a series of changes to recruiting programs, recruiters and policies over the past several years. That prompted Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., to ask why the parade was needed for recruiting if it's already surging. Driscoll said the Army believes the parade 'will empower an entire new generation of America's youth to catch the spirit to serve their nation.' Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., defended the parade spending, saying 'you cannot put a price tag on patriotism.' House members on both sides of the aisle pressed the Army about a recent request to shift money from across the budget to support the southern border. The biggest concern, they said, is that it takes money away from base housing, which has been plagued with persistent problems, including mold, rodents and raw sewage in barracks. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., agreed the nation needs a strong border, but said lawmakers worked for the past year on a broad effort to address the housing problems. 'I feel like a decision was made that undermined this whole effort that we spent the last year doing.,' he said. Pressed on the issue by Carbajal, George acknowledged that redirecting the money has an impact on the barracks. 'If we took $1 billion out of barracks, we would be able to fix less barracks,' he agreed, but also said, ''You have to make choices, congressman.'
