Small businesses sue to block Trump's Canada tariffs

A group of small businesses sued on Tuesday to stop the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on imports from Canada in August, saying the duties represent another attempt to claim an unfettered presidential tariff power that has been roundly rejected in court.

Reuters reported the new lawsuit on Tuesday afternoon. The businesses are asking the court to block the duties, arguing that the White House keeps reaching for tariff powers the courts have already refused to endorse.

The suit lands in the middle of an escalating trade fight between Washington and Ottawa. The United States imposed tariffs on some $20 billion of Canadian goods in August after several rounds of negotiations collapsed, and Canada’s own retaliatory tariffs on US goods took effect in early September. Last month, the Trump administration also banned a broad swath of Canadian alcoholic beverages, motorcycles and dairy products from import with effect from September 29.

The businesses contend that the August tariffs are unlawful and are asking the courts to strike them down, setting up another judicial test of how far a president can go in imposing tariffs without Congress.