‘Unchecked power’: Oregon AG testifies against Trump tariffs

PORTLAND, Ore, (KOIN) — Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield testified before a federal court in New York on Wednesday, arguing against President Trump’s tariffs.

Twelve states, including Oregon, are suing the Trump administration, saying the president is overstepping his authority and harming Americans in the process.

This is one of the nearly two dozen lawsuits against the administration that Rayfield is part of. He is

Rayfield claims the president is misusing a law called “The International Emergency Economic Powers Act,” which is meant to address “unusual and extraordinary” economic threats.

Rayfield filed a preliminary injunction, asking the court to bar federal agencies from imposing the global tariffs.

A Yale University analysis estimates the tariffs could cost the average US household an extra $3,800 per year as retailers raise prices in response.

“If Trump had imposed the Tea Act, he’d call it ‘strategic beverage policy.’ But it still would’ve sparked a revolution. Executive power run wild is un-American – then, and now,” Rayfield said. “Then, it was Parliament. Now, it’s the President. Unchecked power. Same problem, different harbor.”

The US Justice Department says the lawsuit should be dismissed, because the states have not proven actual harm.

Trump has imposed 10% across-the-board tariffs on all imports, and higher tariffs on China. There’s currently a 90-day pause on all retaliatory tariffs.

“We think the court understands the stakes, not just for Oregon, but for every state affected by these overreaching tariffs. We’re optimistic the court will recognize that the President cannot tax the American people without their representatives in Congress having a say,” Rayfield said.

The court is expected to issue a decision in the coming weeks.