SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta today stood up for California families and the state’s economy by filing an amicus brief urging the U.S Supreme Court to strike down President Trump’s illegal tariffs. The President invoked an emergency law to impose tariffs without permission from Congress. But no emergency exists, the emergency law doesn’t allow for tariffs anyway, and instead of helping the American economy, Trump’s illegal tariffs have hurt families, farmers, and businesses by creating mass uncertainty and sending shockwaves through a previously healthy economy.
“Trump’s illegal tariffs are punishing American families and small businesses. It’s not policy or business acumen — it’s betrayal and grift. Americans are struggling to put food on their tables, and Trump’s response is to send $20 billion in taxpayer money to Argentina and leave our farmers and ranchers out to dry. While Trump continues to play political games and make shady deals for his own benefit, California will keep fighting on your behalf. We urge the court to stand firm against authoritarianism and uphold the rule of law that they are sworn to protect.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
The Trump Effect
California is the largest economy in the nation and the fourth-largest economy in the world. The Golden State is the largest importer of goods among the fifty states. Since February 2025, President Trump has issued an unprecedented and chaotic series of executive orders imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 145% on nearly every trading partner of the United States. The illegal tariffs imposed by President Trump threaten to devastate California’s economy, depriving it of $25 billion and more than 64,000 jobs.
Don’t believe us?
Hear it from President Ronald Reagan instead: “High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. The result is more and more tariffs, higher and higher trade barriers, and less and less competition. So, soon, because of the prices made artificially high by tariffs that subsidize inefficiency and poor management, people stop buying. Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs.”
