Donald Trump’s surcharge blocked by an American court – Liberation

A violent legal setback. US President Donald Trump saw the evening His so -called customs duties « Converse » -Imposed since the beginning of April on all the products entering the United States-being blocked by an American court.

If the three judges of the United States International Commercial Court do not dispute in their decision the possibility for the United States to increase the surcharge that the country imposes on its importsthey estimated that the latter were a prerogative of the congress and that Donald Trump had thus exceeded the powers at his disposal.

They consider that the president cannot invoke the 1977 economic emergency law, used to justify the use of presidential decrees in order to institute these customs duties, for « Impose an unlimited surcharge on products from almost all countries », according to judgment.

For judges, the decrees made since the return of Donald Trump to the White House « Overlaps the powers granted to the president in the context of the ieepa law (allowing to act in an economic emergency, editor’s note) To regulate imports via the use of customs duties ”.

This concerns both the tax duties imposed in Canada, Mexico and Chinaaccused of not fighting efficiently against fentanyl traffic, and the surcharge of at least 10 % imposed on April 2 on all the products entering the United States, and up to 50 % depending on the country of origin.

The ieepa law « Allows the president to take the necessary economic sanctions in an emergency to fight an » extraordinary and unusual « threat », «  recalled the court. But any interpretation that delegates him « An unlimited authority on customs duties is unconstitutional », insisted the judges.

In a written opinion accompanying the decision, one of the judges, who is not appointed, said that that « Would constitute a renunciation of the legislative power for the benefit of another branch of the government », Which is contrary to the American Constitution.

In a press release, a White House spokesperson denounced a decision to « Unslined judges » who have « Not the power to decide how to properly manage a national emergency ».

« President Trump has sworn to place the United States first and the government is determined to use all the levers of executive power to respond to this crisis and restore American grandeur, » Added this spokesperson, Kush Desai. The Trump government appealed on Wednesday.

The White House also has this judgment « Obviously wrong »via one of his accounts on the social network X, saying convinced himself « That this decision will be invalidated on appeal ».

For his part, the leader of the Democrat minority to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, Gregory Meeks, said in a statement that the decision came to confirm that « These customs duties are an illegal abuse of executive power ».

The court was pronounced following two complaints filed in recent weeks, one by an alliance of twelve American states, including Arizona, Oregon, New York and Minnesota, the other by a group of American companies. They accused precisely of Donald Trump for using a law that did not allow him to use emergency measures to impose customs duties, a power that the American Constitution attributes to the Congress, an argument therefore taken up by the court.

On April 2, the American president notably presented his so -called customs duties « Reciprocal », Supposed to concern all countries around the world, before retreating to the fall in the financial markets, granting a 90-day break beyond 10 % customs duties, in order to open the door to commercial negotiations.

After a replica of Beijing, which increased its customs duties in response to those imposed by Washington, the first two global economic powers responded to blow to the blow until bringing them to 125 % and 145 % respectively, beyond the existing surcharge before April 2. The two countries finally agreed in mid-May on a 10 % return to American products and 30 % on Chinese products.

Friday, Donald Trump also attacked the European Union, ensuring that it does not « Was not looking for » Commercial with the United States, threatening to impose 50 % customs duties on products from the twenty-seven, before retreating by announcing a break on this surcharge until July 9.

Update at 7.55 p.m.: The White House believes that the judgment is « wrong ».