Attorney General William Tong joined a multistate lawsuit Wednesday that is suing to block the Trump administration’s tariffs, which have rattled the markets and worried businesses and consumers about higher prices.
Connecticut is one of a dozen states challenging four of President Donald J. Trump’s executive orders, arguing that he does not have the authority to circumvent Congress and increase tariffs on most imports.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Tong called the tariffs “unlawful, unconstitutional and destructive.” He argued that under Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, only Congress is given the power to levy tariffs.
The lawsuit also argues that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which allows the president to regulate international trade during a “national emergency,” and which President Trump has cited as allowing him to enact the tariffs, does not provide a legitimate legal backing for Trump’s actions.
The executive orders include a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada, a 145% tariff on China and a 10% tariff on countries worldwide. Trump has also promised reciprocal tariffs on a number of countries but paused most of them for 90 days.
The back-and-forth over the president’s tariff policy has left things in a state of flux, particularly amid a growing trade war with China. But Trump said Tuesday that a 145% rate on Chinese imports “will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.” Those comments, in part, led to a rise in global markets on Wednesday.
Trump said Wednesday afternoon from the Oval Office that he hasn’t brought down the high tariffs on China yet.
“I haven’t brought it down. I said it’s a high tariff, but I haven’t brought it down,” Trump said after signing executive orders on Wednesday. “It basically means China is not doing any business with us essentially because it’s a very high number.”
But U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said during the Wednesday press conference that even with the pauses on reciprocal tariffs, the new levies would hurt consumers and businesses.
“Ten percent [tariffs] still across the board — on our allies. On countries that make things we could never make: Bananas. Coffee. We’re not growing them in the United States,” said Blumenthal.
Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, who also joined Tong’s announcement on Wednesday, have been vocal opponents of the tariff policy and support bipartisan legislation that would allow Congress to regain authority on the issue.
Blumenthal touted this legislation, noting that it is supported by seven Democrats and seven Republicans. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., has introduced similar legislation in the House.
The lawsuit alleges that states are going to face “increased costs when purchasing necessary equipment and supplies essential to their economies” as a result of the tariffs, an assumption echoed at the Wednesday press conference.
Tong and Blumenthal both cited research from the Yale Budget Lab estimating a loss of $4,900 per household as a result of the tariffs, with prices for clothing and shoes being particularly affected.
Courtney, whose district includes the General Dynamics Electric Boat plant that produces submarines for the U.S. Navy, said he was particularly concerned about how the tariffs would affect agreements with other countries.
He referenced Australia, which is part of a deal, along with the U.S. and the U.K., to build three Virginia class submarines.
“Right now, those same questions that are being asked in Canada are being asked in Australia about whether or not the U.S. is really an ally that they can rely on,” said Courtney.
Oregon’s attorney general filed the latest tariff lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade. So far, only attorneys general from Democratic-led states have joined.
That same court rejected a temporary restraining order requested by a group of small businesses that argued they would be immediately harmed by the tariffs. The judges ruled the tariffs can be left in place while the lawsuit continues in court.
Since the start of Trump’s tenure, Tong has been a part of numerous lawsuits challenging various executive orders and policies from the president. The most recent sued the administration for seeking to gut a handful of federal agencies that mediate labor disputes, provide funding for public libraries, museums and minority-owned businesses.
Connecticut Republican Party Chair Ben Proto said that by instituting the tariffs, Trump was doing exactly what he’d told voters he would do.
“ He said he was going to institute tariffs if he was elected, and he was pretty overwhelmingly elected. I know the Democrats don’t like to think he was overwhelmingly elected, but some 78 million people voted for him, knowing full well what he was going to do.”
Proto also criticized Tong, calling the lawsuit a waste of taxpayer dollars. He also said neither Tong, Blumenthal nor Murphy knew what the fallout would be from the tariffs.
“ I have no idea what the tariffs are going to do, and I think the issue is if you’re looking for an answer as to what they’re going to do in the next 10 minutes, I think that will be a very different answer than what they’re going to do in the next 10 months,” Proto said.
When asked specifically about what has been gained from the China tariffs, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the White House Wednesday that it is “ensuring the rest of the world knows that the United States of America is no longer going to be ripped off.” She said there are 18 proposals “on paper” from other countries to try and strike a trade deal.
Leavitt said to “have some patience and you will see” when pressed if the tariffs have worked.
Trump said Wednesday that tariff negotiations with multiple countries are “doing very well.” The president said his team is still working with other countries on potential deals. But if those don’t come to fruition, they will set new rates in the coming weeks.
“If we don’t have a deal with a company or a country, we’re going to set the tariff. That will happen over the next two or three weeks. We’ll be setting the number,” Trump said. “We’re dealing with a lot of countries right now.”
This story was originally published in the Connecticut Mirror.
