The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has ruled that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by imposing global import tariffs. The court ordered them to be blocked, a severe blow to a key component of the American leader’s economic policy.
The three-judge panel’s decision noted that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), which Trump had cited to justify the tariffs, does not give the president the authority to impose tariffs on almost the entire world.
The court in Manhattan also said that the U.S. Constitution grants Congress exclusive authority to regulate foreign trade and that this cannot be overridden by the president’s authority to protect the economy.
Minutes after the decision was made, the Trump administration filed an appeal.
“Unelected judges have no authority to decide how to respond to national emergencies properly,” said White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai.
