Once again, President Trump is raising costs on everyday goods for Oregon families and small businesses and, once again, Attorney General Dan Rayfield is again stepping up to stop him.
Today, AG Rayfield co-led a coalition of 25 states in filing a third lawsuit against Trump’s attempts to impose illegal tariffs on American consumers and businesses. The case challenges the Administration’s recent decision to increase tariffs on more than 80 countries that together account for 99.4% of all U.S. imports – costs that will be passed along to Oregon families already struggling to pay for everyday household goods.
“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,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “Just as many families are back to school shopping, these tariffs are driving up costs for necessities like clothing and electronics.”
Today’s lawsuit, led by Oregon, challenges this latest round of tariffs. The complaint contends that these actions exceed Trump’s legal authority and violate the Administrative Procedure Act. The case was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade and is entitled State of Oregon, et al., v. Trump, et al.
A recent analysis by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York concluded that nearly 90 percent of the costs of tariffs in 2025 were paid by American consumers and businesses. By imposing another round of price increases on American consumers and businesses, the Trump Administration is tripling down on failed economic policies.
In 2025, Oregon companies imported more than $28 billion in parts and products. Small businesses in Oregon rely on imports, and stability in trade policy is crucial for those businesses to survive. Additionally, experts estimate that in Oregon tariffs will raise the cost of living for the average family by more than $1,200 a year – essentially imposing a sales tax on citizens of the state, something that Oregonians have voted down for years.
Background
For more than a year, President Trump has inflicted chaos on the American economy by imposing tariffs without the legal authority to do so. Initially, the President claimed that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) allowed him to impose tariffs of any amount, on any product, from any country, for any length of time. In February, the Supreme Court rejected that claim, agreeing with AG Rayfield and the coalition that the IEEPA tariffs were unlawful. President Trump then turned to a separate law that had never been used before – Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 – and announced 10 percent tariffs on most products worldwide. But state attorneys general challenged those tariffs, too, and in May the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that the President acted unlawfully.
Rather than accepting those losses, President Trump turned to another law – Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 – and directed the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate the European Union and 59 other countries to determine whether those countries are doing enough to combat forced labor in global trade. Late last month, the USTR did what Trump wanted all along, imposing 10% and 12.5% tariff rates on nearly every economy that trades with the U.S.
In other words, instead of taking a single real action to combat forced labor in foreign countries, the USTR reached a foregone conclusion and imposed across-the-board tariffs similar to those that courts have struck down twice before.
The lawsuit is led by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Also joining are the 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 governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
