Online Reporter
A United States appeals court has ruled that most tariffs issued by US President Donald Trump are illegal, setting up a potential legal showdown that could upend his foreign policy agenda.
The ruling affects Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs, imposed on most countries around the world, as well as other tariffs slapped on China, Mexico and Canada.
In a 7-4 decision, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected Trump’s argument that the tariffs were permitted under an emergency economic powers Act, calling them “invalid as contrary to law”.
The ruling will not take effect until October 14 to give the administration time to ask the Supreme Court to take up the case.
Trump criticised the appeals court and its ruling on Truth Social, saying: “If allowed to stand, this decision would literally destroy the United States of America.”
Trump had justified the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives the president the power to act against “unusual and extraordinary” threats.
Trump has declared a national emergency on trade, arguing that a trade imbalance is harmful to US national security.
But the court ruled that imposing tariffs is not within the president’s mandate, and that setting levies is “a core Congressional power”. – Bbc.com
Bongani Ndlovu