President Donald J Trump’s use of tariffs has been justified by the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a distinction that enables him to use tariffs at will for whatever he deems an “emergency,” with little chance a court would dare set a precedent of empowering the courts to define what emergencies are.
The fruit of that labor has yielded two quick victories, with both Canada and Mexico capitulating to President Donald Trump’s demands to do something to limit the flow of fentanyl coming from both countries into America. Each nation has pledged 10K troops to the task, and each nation is now renegotiating its deals with America as a new 30-day deadline looms.
How Trump’s Bold Use of Tariffs Made Mexico and Canada Cave– www.dailysignal.com Source Link Excerpt:
By using the threat of tariffs to pressure Canada and Mexico to pledge to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States, President Donald Trump pursued a novel legal theory. He declared an emergency then used his emergency authority to threaten to impose tariffs to get our neighbors to comply with his border enforcement and economic policies.
Trump bypassed the typical avenues of tariff policy and instead used the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare the emergency and justify his tariff threats.
The act has been used by various presidents since the 1970s to respond to threats such as the Iran Hostage Crisis, the international drug trade, and the rise of Chinese-owned social media app TikTok.
But presidents have only used it to freeze transactions or seize properties—never to implement broad tariffs.
Trump threatened 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods if they did not address the importation of fentanyl into the United States. (GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)