US small businesses file lawsuit against Trump's tariffs

NEW YORK -- Multiple US small businesses Monday sued to challenge the White House's authority to unilaterally issue tariffs on April 2.

The lawsuit filed in the US Court of International Trade argues that US President Donald Trump's administration has no authority to issue across-the-board worldwide tariffs without congressional approval.

The lawsuit was jointly filed by the Liberty Justice Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan and public-interest litigation firm, and Ilya Somin, a co-counsel and professor of law at George Mason University, according to a court document.

The lawsuit is filed on behalf of five owner-operated businesses from the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Vermont.

"Trade deficits have existed for decades, and do not constitute a national emergency or threat to security," the Liberty Justice Center said in a release. "Moreover, the (Trump) Administration imposed tariffs even on countries with which the United States does not have a trade deficit, further undermining the administration's justification."

Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to justify the "Liberation Day" tariffs, as well as the tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, noted the center.

However, the IEEPA does not authorize the US president to impose across-the-board tariffs, and not even authorize tariffs at all, argued the complaint.

Amid widespread opposition, Trump signed an executive order on April 2 on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs", imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" and higher rates on certain trading partners.