Delaware News

Federal court blocks Trump administration’s disastrous tariffs

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2025


Navy blue background featuring the Delaware state seal in the center
A federal court has blocked unlawful tariffs imposed by President Trump’s executive orders under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The ruling, issued Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Court of International Trade, came in response to a multistate lawsuit from 12 state attorneys general, including Delaware AG Kathy Jennings.
“The courts have affirmed what every reasonable person already knew: these tariffs were baseless, senseless, and illegal,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “There are no winners in a trade war. These unlawful tariffs alienated our closest allies, jeopardized small businesses, and threatened to pummel the backbone of America’s already struggling workforce. I am grateful to the courts for restoring common sense.”
“Tariffs are a tax, and these taxes were levied illegally from the beginning, hurting working families,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “I want to thank Attorney General Jennings for her continued leadership in holding the Trump administration accountable when they try to con Delawareans and Americans out of even more of their hard-earned money.”
According to the International Trade Administration:
  • Delaware imported more than $10 billion of goods and exported nearly $5 billion in goods in 2024
  • Nearly 90% of the firms exporting goods in 2022 were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employing less than 500 employees.
  • Trade supports tens of thousands of Delaware jobs: roughly 36,000 Delaware jobs are supported by foreign-owned firms investing in the United States, and roughly 17,000 are supported by Delaware’s export economy.
Major Delaware employers, including DuPont and Mountaire, have been subject to retaliatory measures from China as a result of Trump’s trade war.
Studies of the tariffs President Trump issued in his first term show that 95 percent of the cost of tariffs are paid by Americans. The Federal Reserve and the International Monetary Fund projected that the 2025 tariffs would cause inflation.
Under Article I of the Constitution, only Congress has the “Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” The executive orders cite the powers granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), but that law applies only when an emergency presents “unusual and extraordinary threat” from abroad and does not give the President the power to impose tariffs. Congress enacted IEEPA in 1977. No President had imposed tariffs based on IEEPA until President Trump did so this year.
Wednesday’s decision halts the existing IEEPA tariffs. It also stops President Trump from increasing tariffs, including the threatened 145 percent tariffs on imports from China and 50 percent tariffs on imports from the European Union.
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Federal court blocks Trump administration’s disastrous tariffs

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2025


Navy blue background featuring the Delaware state seal in the center
A federal court has blocked unlawful tariffs imposed by President Trump’s executive orders under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The ruling, issued Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Court of International Trade, came in response to a multistate lawsuit from 12 state attorneys general, including Delaware AG Kathy Jennings.
“The courts have affirmed what every reasonable person already knew: these tariffs were baseless, senseless, and illegal,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “There are no winners in a trade war. These unlawful tariffs alienated our closest allies, jeopardized small businesses, and threatened to pummel the backbone of America’s already struggling workforce. I am grateful to the courts for restoring common sense.”
“Tariffs are a tax, and these taxes were levied illegally from the beginning, hurting working families,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “I want to thank Attorney General Jennings for her continued leadership in holding the Trump administration accountable when they try to con Delawareans and Americans out of even more of their hard-earned money.”
According to the International Trade Administration:
  • Delaware imported more than $10 billion of goods and exported nearly $5 billion in goods in 2024
  • Nearly 90% of the firms exporting goods in 2022 were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employing less than 500 employees.
  • Trade supports tens of thousands of Delaware jobs: roughly 36,000 Delaware jobs are supported by foreign-owned firms investing in the United States, and roughly 17,000 are supported by Delaware’s export economy.
Major Delaware employers, including DuPont and Mountaire, have been subject to retaliatory measures from China as a result of Trump’s trade war.
Studies of the tariffs President Trump issued in his first term show that 95 percent of the cost of tariffs are paid by Americans. The Federal Reserve and the International Monetary Fund projected that the 2025 tariffs would cause inflation.
Under Article I of the Constitution, only Congress has the “Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” The executive orders cite the powers granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), but that law applies only when an emergency presents “unusual and extraordinary threat” from abroad and does not give the President the power to impose tariffs. Congress enacted IEEPA in 1977. No President had imposed tariffs based on IEEPA until President Trump did so this year.
Wednesday’s decision halts the existing IEEPA tariffs. It also stops President Trump from increasing tariffs, including the threatened 145 percent tariffs on imports from China and 50 percent tariffs on imports from the European Union.
image_printPrint

Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.