• Source:JND
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The Trump administration has gone to the US Supreme Court to defend its sweeping tariffs programme, including a 50 per cent tariff on India, arguing that the duties are a vital instrument in pressuring countries to reduce Russian energy purchases during the Ukraine war.

The administration had earlier imposed a 25 per cent tariff on India citing trade deficit, followed by an additional 25 per cent penalty over New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil. With this, India now faces one of the heaviest tariff burdens among US trading partners.

In its Supreme Court filing, the White House said, “The President recently authorised IEEPA tariffs against India for purchasing Russian energy products, to deal with a preexisting national emergency regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine, as a crucial aspect of his push for peace in that war-torn country.”

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Supreme Court Battle

The appeal came after the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in a 7-4 decision, ruled that Trump had exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad duties. The new filing urges the Supreme Court to overturn that ruling, saying, “The stakes in this case could not be higher.”

According to the administration, removing the tariffs would not only undermine efforts to end the war in Ukraine but could also trigger what it described as an “economic catastrophe” for the United States.

Warning Of Economic Fallout

The filing argued that scrapping tariffs would weaken the defence-industrial base, jeopardise the country’s USD 1.2 trillion trade deficit, and damage America’s leverage in foreign negotiations. “With tariffs, the United States is a rich nation; without tariffs, a poor nation,” it said, underscoring the administration’s belief that duties are essential to maintaining economic and geopolitical strength.

The government also claimed that the tariff measures had already produced tangible results, pointing to six major trading partners and the European Union agreeing to framework deals that strengthened the US’s global position. Trump lashed out at the appeals court decision, writing on his social media platform that the judges had “incorrectly said that our tariffs should be removed,” and vowing that the United States “will win in the end.”

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged caution, warning that suspending tariffs could lead to “dangerous diplomatic embarrassment” and unsettle delicate trade talks.