Nevada attorney general suing Trump over tariffs

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford speaks at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Photo by: Wade Vandervort

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is suing President Donald Trump’s administration to stop the trade war kicked off against Canada and Mexico in February that’s since expanded across the globe, his office announced today.

“The president has certain authority to impose tariffs, but the approach he has taken is not only unlawful but also completely disrupts both the global economy and the day-to day lives of Nevadans trying to make ends meet,” Ford, a Democrat, wrote in a statement.

Eleven other states are involved in the lawsuit.

With the 90-day pause announced April 9, most countries are currently dealing with 10% blanket tariffs while China has a 145% tariff levied against them. The country responded with a 125% tariff on American products.

The lawsuit challenges Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives the president the ability to regulate trade when there is “an unusual and extraordinary threat … to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States.”

In the lawsuit, the suing states argue that Trump simply declaring a national emergency isn’t enough to establish “an unusual and extraordinary threat” and that IEEPA has never been used to levy tariffs, an authority handled by Congress.

“When the president oversteps his authority, I will meet him in court,” Ford continued. “His actions here are a monumental overstep, and we’re suing to address it.”

The tariffs have created fear among local Democratic officials who say the increased prices from the trade war will crunch Nevada families’ wallets and dampen visitation to Las Vegas. That has big implications for a state where sales and gaming taxes make up the bulk of its revenue.

“In a tourism-based economy like ours, this is a recipe for disaster,” Senate Finance Committee Chair Marilyn Dondero Loop wrote last week in a statement to the Sun. “It’s time President Trump and D.C. Republicans stop their nonsense and focus on lowering costs for Nevada families.”