#TrumpTariffs

President Trump’s tariffs were in court May 13 as the U.S. Court of International Trade held the first hearing on the legality of the president’s tool for reshaping U.S. trade policy. Numerous lawsuits, including one filed in the same court by a blue-state coalition led by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, claim Congress never ceded to the president power to set tariffs at any rate on any country he wishes. The Justice Department argues Congress did give Trump that authority. The 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act allows the president to “regulate” imports to counter an unusual and extraordinary threat. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric Hamilton told the three-judge panel that “regulate” includes setting tariffs and that the trade deficit is a national emergency. Tariffs are meant to stimulate exports, decrease reliance on imports and enable Trump to negotiate deals that make the country more secure, Hamilton said. “That’s happening right now,” he said. The tariffs have yielded a deal with the United Kingdom, spurred talks with China and motivated dozens of countries to seek trade agreements, according to the White House.