New York leads a 12-state lawsuit against the Trump administration's tariffs: 'They will cause inflation and unemployment'

Twelve states joined together to sue the Trump administration over its tariff policy. As they alleged, President Donald Trump decided to "illegally impose" a tax increase on Americans through his tariffs. In turn, they warned that this would lead to "inflation and unemployment."

Led by New York, the remaining plaintiff states are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont. While not all of them have Democratic governors, for example, Nevada and Vermont, their attorneys general do belong to the Democratic Party.

Using similar logic to that used by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) to criticize the tariffs, they argued that the president can only invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act when a foreign emergency presents an "unusual and extraordinary threat." In essence, they argue that Trump is arrogating to himself functions of Congress and does not have the authority to implement his tariff policy.

"By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy," the text of the lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade reads.

"The president does not have the power to raise taxes on a whim, but that’s exactly what President Trump has been doing with these tariffs. Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices and ease the cost of living, but these illegal tariffs will have the exact opposite effect on American families. His tariffs are unlawful and if not stopped, they will lead to more inflation, unemployment, and economic damage," added New York Attorney General Letitia James, a historic antagonist of President Trump.