Washington: US president Donald Trump can continue to impose tariffs on imports, at least for the time being, thanks to an order by a Federal Appeals Court. The Court, on Thursday, temporarily reinstated most of Trump’s sweeping tariffs. This came barely a day after a trade court blocked the tariffs on grounds that Trump had overstepped his authority.
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted an emergency motion filed by the Trump administration, which argued that lifting the tariffs would harm the country’s national security.
The court issued a brief order allowing the administration’s request to temporarily block the trade court’s decision. This means the earlier ruling and orders from the Court of International Trade are on hold for now.
The appeals court did not provide an opinion or detailed reasoning for its decision but directed the plaintiffs to respond by June 5 and the administration to reply by June 9. The ruling temporarily restores the tariffs, which had been imposed by Trump under an emergency powers law, pending further legal proceedings.
The trade court’s ruling on Wednesday found that President Trump had overstepped his authority in imposing the tariffs and ordered an immediate halt to most of them, including the ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs and those targeting imports from Canada, Mexico, and China.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett has been quoted by Reuters as saying that he anticipates several trade agreements could be finalized within the next week or two. He mentioned being briefed on three deals that are “about to happen,” though he did not disclose which countries are involved. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Hassett declined to provide further details on the negotiations.
Meanwhile, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Thursday that if the Trump administration loses its legal battles over trade policy, it will explore other ways to impose tariffs.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro emphasized that US tariffs are currently in effect due to a court-issued stay, and the administration continues to engage in trade negotiations with other countries.
