Attorney General Kwame Raoul, together with a coalition of 12 attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to challenge recently imposed tariffs. The legal action contests several executive orders that claim the power to increase tariffs without congressional consent.
The lawsuit claims these executive orders unlawfully impose tariffs such as a 145% rate on most Chinese products, 25% on products from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on other global imports. An administration plan to raise tariffs on imports from 56 other countries by July 9 also faces opposition.
"International trade is essential to states’ economies, and the administration’s tariffs will make it more difficult for our residents to purchase the basic goods they need at affordable prices," Raoul stated. "I am proud to join my colleagues in fighting to prevent hardworking Americans from footing the bill for the Trump administration’s unlawful tariffs."
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade, asserts that only Congress has the authority to lay and collect taxes. Raoul and his colleagues argue that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), cited by the administration, does not grant the president power to impose tariffs, as it is intended for situations involving an "unusual and extraordinary threat" from abroad. This marks the first instance in U.S. history where the IEEPA is used for imposing tariffs.
In Illinois, these tariff measures could push state agencies to incur higher costs for goods due to increased tariffs. For instance, the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DOIT), which acquires approximately 15,000 imported personal computers annually, has contracts that allow vendors to transfer tariff costs to the state. The rapid succession of executive orders also creates uncertainty, deterring long-term vendor commitments and complicating procurement planning.
The coalition's lawsuit includes attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Vermont.