US President Donald Trump’s administration conveyed in court papers that striking down tariffs on countries including India would expose the United States to trade retaliation and undercut efforts to secure peace abroad like in Ukraine.
In an appeal to the US Supreme Court on September 4, according to a news report, Solicitor General John Sauer urged justices to preserve the duties, which a lower court found unlawful. “The stakes in this case could not be higher,” the filing said, calling tariffs “a crucial aspect of our push for peace” in Ukraine and a shield against economic catastrophe.
“We recently authorised tariffs against India for purchasing Russian energy products to deal with a preexisting national emergency regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine,” the administration wrote, adding that removing them “would thrust America to the brink of an economic catastrophe.” As part of Trump’s broader actions against several countries, the US administration recently imposed a 25 per cent tariff on India, citing the trade deficit, and an additional 25 per cent for India’s refusal to comply with US pressure to end its oil trade links. The total levy now stands at 50 per cent.
Trump’s emergency appeal at the Supreme Court follows a 7-4 decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ruled that Trump exceeded his authority by invoking emergency economic powers to impose wide-ranging duties. The administration countered that the measures are promoting “peace and unprecedented economic prosperity” while driving countries into new trade frameworks with Washington.
“With tariffs, the United States is a rich nation; without tariffs, a poor nation,” the filing said. It argued that rolling them back would weaken the country’s defence-industrial base, jeopardise “$ 1.2 trillion in annual trade deficits, and cast “a pall of uncertainty upon ongoing foreign negotiations.” The government said that because of the duties, “six major trading partners and the 27-nation European Union have already entered into framework deals,”” strengthening America’s global position.
