The Wall Street Journal editorial board has swipes through President Trump's recent tariff threat and claims he is using 48-year-old law to launch a trade war.
in Recent OP-EDthe board warned about the possible shocking consumer prices after the tariffs were fully effective and urged someone to file a lawsuit accordingly.
“The President evokes laws that do not give him the power to impose drastic tariffs,” they wrote in the article's subhead. “Someone should sue me.”
Pressure comes after Trump introduces 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and imposes an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports. The tax came into effect earlier this week, but the president has recently issued several exceptions.
The International Emergency Economic Force Act of 1977 (IEPA) allows the administrative sector to investigate, block, ban or regulate imports and exports from and to foreign countries in the event of “an unusual or extraordinary threat.”
The Journal editorial board also accused Trump of misinterpreting the law.
“He treats the North American economy as a personal playground. As the markets shrink on the whims of each president, the board writes: “Trump has even the power to impose these tariffs.
The Journal described Trump's actions as a “basic amendment” to the IEPA Act, which has a direct quotation from the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in West Virginia v. EPA.
They pointed to the lack of historical precedent as a clear indication of Trump's attempt to expand his authority under the fentanyl opioid crisis as a qualified “national emergency.”
Under the ruling, the board wrote, “Congress must expressly allow enforcement actions of both economic and political importance. Trump's tariffs cannot be denied.”
“But it's debate whether fentanyl is an unusual and extraordinary threat, as drugs have been poured across borders for decades,” they continued. “The bigger problem is that Ieepa doesn't explicitly allow tariffs.”
The board also outlined restrictions on the presidential customs authorities, referring to a lower court's decision to uphold former President Nixon's use of IEEPA law. In that case, Nixon imposed a full 10% tariff to address the country's growing trade deficit. You will be restricted later By Congress.
“Mr. Trump's tariffs do not appear to be reasonably linked to the fentanyl emergency,” the Journal board wrote. “And Congress appears to dislike the use of emergency to address Nixon's trade issues, as it gave the president a limited authority to impose tariffs three years later.”
“Mr. Trump may have avoided those authorities because he wants to impose tariffs on Cult Blanche,” they added.
The Journal's latest criticism follows an editorial earlier this week, with the board slamming Trump for “the most ridiculous tariff entry.”
