President Donald Trump’s power to issue sweeping tariffs on imported goods came under judicial scrutiny Tuesday, as the U.S. Court of International Trade weighed claims from small businesses that his actions had violated the Constitution.
During oral arguments, a three-judge panel closely questioned whether Trump had overstepped Congress’ power when he invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to set 10 percent tariffs on goods from most countries and even higher tariffs on dozens of others.
The 1977 law gives the president power to respond to a declared economic emergency, but it does not explicitly mention tariffs. The Trump administration argued that language in the law granting authority to regulate imports is broad enough to include the ability to impose tariffs.
Judge Gary Katzmann said the court was keeping an open mind about the closely watched case.
