Washington, DC [US], August 30 (ANI): After a federal appeals court ruled that President Donald Trump’s tariffs were “illegal,” Democrat Representative Gregory Meeks urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to take up his resolution to end the tariffs.
Citing the court judgment that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize Trump to impose tariffs, Meeks said Johnson must stop covering for “Trump’s lawlessness.”
“Both trial and appellate courts told Trump his tariffs are illegal, as I argued in amicus briefs with my colleagues. IEEPA’s not a tariff statute. Speaker Johnson must stop covering for Trump’s lawlessness and put my resolutions on the floor to end the tariffs,” Meeks said.
The statement follows a federal appeals court ruling that the IEEPA does not grant a president the authority to impose tariffs like those Trump enacted earlier this year. The Federal Circuit, in an unsigned opinion upholding a lower-court decision, said Trump’s unprecedented tariffs were an overstep of executive power, as the ability to impose taxes—including tariffs—is “a core Congressional power” granted to the legislative branch under the Constitution, CNN reported.
Despite the ruling, Trump insisted that all tariffs remain in effect, rejecting the court’s conclusion. “ALL TARIFFS ARE STILL IN EFFECT! Today, a highly partisan appeals court incorrectly said that our tariffs should be removed, but they know the United States of America will win in the end. If these tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the country. It would make us financially weak, and we have to be strong,” Trump declared.
On April 2, Trump announced a sweeping set of new tariffs targeting about 60 countries or trade blocs with significant trade deficits with the United States. The move marked the largest US tariff hike in nearly a century, which he called “Liberation Day.”
India was among the nations hit, facing a 25 percent tariff on its goods and an additional 25 percent penalty for purchasing Russian crude oil, bringing the total to 50 percent.
A recent report by American multinational investment bank Jefferies stated that the steep tariffs imposed on Indian goods were largely the result of Trump’s “personal pique” at not being allowed to mediate in the India-Pakistan conflict. The report noted that the American president had hoped to intervene after the four-day military confrontation between the two countries in May.
According to the report, “tariffs are primarily the consequence of the American president’s personal pique that he was not allowed to play a role in seeking to end the long-running acrimony between India and Pakistan.”
India has consistently maintained that it does not accept third-party intervention in its disputes with Pakistan. (ANI)
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