Taking Trump to court

The American Institute for International Steel, an industry body representing companies that depend on steel imports, sued the Trump administration last week before the US Court of International Trade in New York, challenging the legality of the steel tariffs.

The organisation is calling on the courts to strike down the 1962 legal provision Trump used to impose the new duties, claiming it is unconstitutional.

Sometimes called the “national security clause,” Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 gives the US president extraordinary powers over foreign trade, a power the US Constitution generally confers on Congress.

“Section 232 allows the president to consider virtually any effect on the US economy as part of ‘national security,’” AIIS President Richard Chriss said in a statement.

The federation says many American businesses are suffering under the tariffs while ports and workers have seen a sharp decline in their businesses’ throughput.

AP A roll of steel is unloaded at the Borusan Mannesmann Pipe manufacturing facility in Baytown, Texas. Borusan is seeking a waiver from the steel tariff.