(KMJ/Associated Press) Gov. Gavin Newsom says the Golden State is going to court to challenge President Trump’s tariffs.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, will argue that enacting such tariffs requires approval from Congress. The state will ask the court to immediately block the tariffs.
Newsom says the tariffs in effect have resulted in inflated costs and billions of dollars in damage in California, which has the largest economy among U.S. states and is a massive exporter.
“California is the largest manufacturing state with a $412 billion dollar output. The manufacturing output is disproportionately affected by these tariffs”, Gov. Newsom said in a news conference Wednesday.
Newsom, flanked by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, slammed the President’s tariff plan and its potential negative effects on the valley’s agriculture industry. He said the tariffs are causing “toxic uncertainty” in the ag community.
Trump has offered many justifications for increasing tariffs, including that they are designed to spur U.S. manufacturing and stop the flow of illicit fentanyl into the US.
“President Trump’s unlawful tariffs are wreaking chaos on California families, businesses, and our economy — driving up prices and threatening jobs,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re standing up for American families who can’t afford to let the chaos continue.”
