Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Sunday was adamant that the Trump administration’s aggressive use of tariffs was not going away within the aftermath of court docket rulings that blocked sweeping duties on imports.
Lutnick appeared on “Fox News Sunday” days after the U.S. Court docket of Worldwide Commerce and a separate ruling by a federal choose in Washington, D.C., blocked tariffs issued underneath the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act of 1977.
“What’s going to happen is we’re going to take that up to higher courts. The president’s going to win like he always does,” Lutnick stated.
“Rest assured, tariffs are not going away,” he continued. “He has so many other authorities that even in the weird and unusual circumstance where this was taken away, we just bring on another or another or another. Congress has given this authority to the president, and he’s going to use it.”
A federal appeals court docket final week lifted a ruling in opposition to Trump from the Court docket of Worldwide Commerce, although a second federal ruling blocking the tariffs remained in place. The administration has attacked the judges within the wake of the rulings and argued Trump is on agency authorized footing.
These rulings apply to the broad “reciprocal” tariffs Trump imposed in early April, which included a baseline 10 % responsibility on imports and better charges on dozens of nations. These greater charges have since been lowered to 10 % till early July to permit for negotiations.
In addition they apply to tariffs Trump imposed on China, Mexico and Canada as a part of his effort to crack down on fentanyl being introduced into the nation.
The rulings don’t apply to sector-based tariffs Trump has imposed underneath a distinct authority.
The president has levied tariffs on vehicle imports and metal and aluminum imports. Trump on Friday introduced he was doubling metal and aluminum tariffs from 25 % to 50 %.
