Washington: Donald Trump is facing the heat over tariffs he has imposed on different countries. After a lower court ruled that most of the global tariffs were illegal, the Trump administration has approached the Supreme Court, urging it to urgently overturn the ruling of US Court of Appeals.
The government has warned that striking down tariffs on countries including India will expose the United States to trade retaliation and undercut efforts to secure peace abroad.
In an appeal to the Supreme Court, accessed by India Today, Solicitor General John Sauer urged judges to preserve the tariffs. “The stakes in this case could not be higher,” the Trump administration stated, adding that tariffs are “a crucial aspect of our push for peace” in Ukraine and a shield against economic catastrophe.
“We recently authorised tariffs against India for purchasing Russian energy products to deal with a preexisting national emergency regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine,” the government wrote. Removing these duties “would thrust America to the brink of an economic catastrophe,” the appeal mentioned.
Over and above the 25% reciprocal tariff, the US has levied an additional 25% penal tax on India for New Delhi’s refusal to comply with American pressure to stop purchasing Russian oil.
“With tariffs, the United States is a rich nation; without tariffs, a poor nation,” the filing said, arguing that rolling them back would weaken the country’s defence-industrial base, jeopardise $1.2 trillion in annual trade deficits, and cast “a pall of uncertainty upon ongoing foreign negotiations.”
The government pointed out that because of the duties, “six major trading partners and the 27-nation European Union have already entered into framework deals,” strengthening the US’ global position.
“One year ago, the United States was a dead country, and now, because of the trillions of dollars being paid by countries that have so badly abused us, America is a strong, financially viable, and respected country again,” the Trump administration said, urging the justices to quickly rule that the President has the authority under federal law to impose broad import taxes.
Trump’s emergency appeal to Supreme Court follows a 7-4 decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ruled that Trump exceeded his authority by invoking emergency economic powers to impose wide-ranging duties. The administration countered that the measures are promoting “peace and unprecedented economic prosperity” while driving countries into new trade frameworks with Washington.
Last week, US Court of Appeals ruled that the President exceeded his authority by using emergency powers to justify the tariffs. The decision upheld a ruling in May by a lower court which found the levies violated federal law.
The Court of Appeals stopped short of lifting the tariffs immediately, and gave the administration until October 14 to appeal to the US Supreme Court. The appeal came within days.
