The Chamber decides against a lawsuit on Trump tariffs

Source: Politico

04/16/2025 04:16 PM EDT


The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has no immediate plans to join the growing number of lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump’s so-called Liberation Day tariffs, two people with direct knowledge of discussions confirmed to POLITICO.

The business group, one of the most influential trade associations in Washington, will instead focus on lobbying the Trump administration on the tariffs directly, said the people, who were granted anonymity to divulge sensitive and developing discussions.

The Chamber was previously mulling a lawsuit over Trump’s use of a 1970s-era emergency law to impose tariffs. But the lobbying group, which claims to represent millions of business owners, decided against legal action for now, swayed by the threat of tariffs being re-applied under a separate statute if a lawsuit was successful, the people said.

The Chamber’s decision follows a wave of legal challenges from businesses arguing the president exceeded his authority on tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit Wednesday, warning the state could lose billions due to its trade-reliant industries.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/16/chamber-of-commerce-opts-to-lobby-trump-on-tariffs-not-sue-00294330