A US federal appeals court on Thursday said President Donald Trump can keep his tariffs in place for now, using emergency powers. This ruling comes after the administration challenged the previous ruling that blocked majority of his flagship economic policies.
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington approved an urgent request from his team, which said stopping the tariffs would be “critical for the country’s national security.”
Trump is facing several lawsuits which claim that his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs went beyond what the law allows.
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel from the US Court of International Trade ruled that Trump misused his powers by using the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare a national emergency and set tariffs on imports from almost every country. The decision is a major blow to Trump, whose unpredictable trade moves have shaken financial markets across the world.
White House vows a Supreme Court fight
The decision by the US Court of Appeals was celebrated by top White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, who told reporters on Thursday, “I can assure you, American people, that the Trump tariff agenda is alive, well, healthy, and will be implemented to protect you, to save your jobs and your factories.”
While Peter Navarro welcomed the temporary pause on the ruling, the White House remained concerned that the appeals court might still strike down Trump’s tariff policy.
White House officials said they planned to continue defending the legality of their efforts on trade to the US Supreme Court, and said that if they were stymied, Trump would simply pursue the same levies through other authorities.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Other countries around the world has belief in Donald Trump…they also probably see how ridiculous this ruling is…we intend to win, we have filed an emergency appeal, and we expect to fight this battle all the way in Supreme Court.”
“America cannot function if President Trump — or any other president, for that matter — has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges,” she added. “Ultimately, the Supreme Court must put an end to this for the sake of our Constitution and our country.”
(With inputs from Livemint)
