Twenty-five US states led by Democratic governors have sued President Donald Trump's administration over tariffs imposed on dozens of countries, including China and the European Union, due to alleged failure to address forced labor. The lawsuit claims that the decision was "arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law" and that the tariffs are a pretext for an "illegal tariff scheme". According to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), the new tariffs cover 99.4% of US imports. The states argue that the investigation into forced labor claims was insufficiently thorough, lasting only two months compared to eight months in the previous case against China.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Twenty-five US states, led by Democratic attorneys general from states such as Oregon and New York, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block new tariffs imposed on 60 trading partners, including the UK, China, and the European Union. The tariffs, which range between 10% and 12.5%, were implemented in July under Section 301 of the 1974 US Trade Act, citing forced labor concerns. However, the states claim that the decision was "arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law" and will harm their residents and businesses. The tariffs cover 99.4% of US imports, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). This lawsuit marks a challenge to President Trump's trade policies, which have been criticized for being overly broad and punitive.
Written for “US Tariffs Lawsuit” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article describes the tariffs as an 'illegal tariff scheme' and implies that the Trump administration is using forced labor as a pretext for imposing them. Additionally, the states' coalition is described as 'Democratic', which may introduce a subtle left-leaning bias in the framing of the story.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score -0.70 for article 255 · logged 2026-08-05
- Published
Twenty-five states sued President Donald Trump's administration on Monday over a wave of tariffs against dozens of countries.
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states → publish → countries
The US says the tariffs, which range between 10% and 12.5%, were imposed due to trading partners - including the UK, China and the European Union - failing to properly tackle forced labour.
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partners → say → labour
In a legal document seen by the BBC, the coalition of Democratic states said the decision was "arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law".
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decision → see → law
In response, White House spokesman Kush Desai said the US was "using its lawful authority" to address practices that burden American businesses.
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that → say → businesses
Desai added that any foreign countries failing to deal with the importation of goods produced with forced labour was "unreasonable" and must be addressed.
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failing → add → labour
The new tariffs, which came into effect in July, were imposed under Section 301 of the 1974 US Trade Act, legislation which is designed to target nations that use forced labour.
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that → come → labour
The duties cover 99.4% of US imports, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR).
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duties → cover → Representative
During Trump's first term, he used Section 301 to impose trade tariffs on China and they survived challenges in court.
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they → use → court
Desai added: "Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a legally durable tool since the president's first term, and they remain so now."
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they → add → term
The lawsuit said the Trump administration "cannot use forced labour as a pretext to continue its illegal tariff scheme".
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administration → say → scheme
"The tariffs the USTR imposed are so broad that they defy the USTR's own stated aims and make a mockery of the statute used to justify them," it said.
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it → impose → them
The lawsuit added that the last time Trump used Section 301 to impose tariffs, solely targeting China in 2018, officials had investigated claims of forced labour in the country for eight months.
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officials → add → months
That compares with just two months for the most recent probe, which looked into 60 trading partners, it said.
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it → compare → partners
"Typically, a Section 301 investigation into even a single economy takes much longer to complete," it argued.
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it → take → economy
"President Trump's illegal tariffs are nothing more than a tax on hardworking families," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
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Hochul → say → families
In a statement, Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield said: "Despite losing every step of the way, Trump is trying yet again to inflict more chaos on working families and homegrown Oregon businesses.
"We're all paying the price for these unlawful tariffs, not foreign governments," he added.
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he → say → tariffs
Several of the affected trading partners have expressed disappointment over the new tariffs, with Brazil and Japan's governments separately calling the measures "unjustified".
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governments → affect → measures
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning described the tariffs as an "excuse for political manipulation".
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spokesperson → describe → manipulation
Washington and Beijing have been locked in a tit-for-tat tariffs war which is currently on hold.
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which → lock → hold
Some analysts have also questioned how countries would be able to show that they had properly addressed the forced labour claims.
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they → question → claims
The lawsuit will pose a "formidable challenge" to Trump's levies, Alex Capri, a business lecturer at the National University of Singapore told the BBC.
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Capri → pose → BBC
There is also a lack of credible evidence to back claims that countries have harmed US firms by violating forced labour rules, he said.
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he → be → rules
Capri added that he expects "carve outs and walk-backs to gradually take the bite out of these tariffs".
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outs → add → tariffs
The legal action marks the latest move surrounding a slew of trade policies unveiled by Trump since he returned to office in January 2025.
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he → mark → January
Many of the wide-ranging duties Trump imposed on global trading partners in his so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs in April last year were struck down by the US Supreme Court.
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Trump → range → Court
"The Supreme Court has made it clear that this administration cannot ignore the law to impose sweeping tariffs," Hochul said.
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Hochul → make → tariffs
The court's decision prompted tens of billions of dollars in refunds to companies that had paid the levies.
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that → prompt → levies
The president has long argued that tariffs protect American workers and boost the US economy.
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tariffs → argue → economy
The tariffs that were struck down were replaced by a temporary 10% levy on all global imports.
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that → strike → imports
Those tariffs expired in July.
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tariffs → expire → July
More tariffs could also be on the horizon as the US is currently investigating 16 countries over claims of manufacturing overcapacity.
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US → investigate → overcapacity
