Democratic attorneys general, governors sue feds over tariffs

by Chris Woodward, The Center Square, Aug 3, 2026

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is co-leading another lawsuit against the Trump administration over tariffs.

Filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade, the lawsuit from Bonta and other Democratic attorneys general and governors challenges the Trump administration’s recent decision to increase tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on the European Union and 60 other countries.

According to Bonta, these countries account for 99.4% of all U.S. imports. He said costs of tariffs will be passed along to American consumers and businesses.

"President Trump is so intent on raising the cost of living for Americans that he is willing to break law after law after law to do so,” said Bonta, who has bragged many times on how much he’s sued the Trump administration since the president re-entered office in January 2025.

This lawsuit marks Bonta’s third legal challenge against tariff policies. The first challenge involved the IEEPA tariffs that were struck by the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2026. Bonta’s second lawsuit involved the Section 122 tariffs that struck by the U.S. Court of International Trade in May 2026.

In this latest challenge, Bonta et al are fighting the tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 and the Administrative Procedure Act.

"Tariffs are taxes, and the American people cannot and should not shoulder the extra costs that come from the President’s failed and illegal economic policy — no matter how much the president wants them to,” said Bonta.

The attorneys general of Arizona and Oregon are the other co-leaders of the lawsuit.

In a press release, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, D-Arizona, said Arizonans have paid the price of Trump’s tariffs, and it is time to stop.

“Tariffs have resulted in higher grocery prices, bigger bills for small businesses trying to stay afloat, and chaos in nearly every sector of our economy,” said Mayes in a press release. “I will never stop fighting to protect Arizonans from unlawful taxes the President is trying to impose on them."

Also joining are the Democratic attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the Democratic governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

“We have a coalition of states working to oppose this, because here's the thing, all of those costs of those tariffs, even by Trump's administration's own admission, they're paid by us as consumers,” said Attorney General Dan Rayfield, D-Oregon, in a video posted on X. “That's why we're fighting, and we're going to continue to fight to make sure that these tariffs aren't passed down as costs to all of us.”

The Trump administration imposed the new tariffs over allegations that the countries were not doing enough to stop the export of goods produced with forced labor.

The White House Press Office was dismissive of the lawsuit in a comment.

“Democrats are once again admitting that their top priority is ensuring illegal immigrants can receive taxpayer-funded benefits meant for American citizens,” Kush Desai, special assistant to the president and senior deputy press secretary, told The Center Square via email. “The Trump administration will continue to protect and preserve these key federal programs for American citizens.”