Attorney General Ford Urges U.S. Trade Representative to Stop Crushing Nevada Consumers and Businesses with Illegal Tariffs

Carson City, NV — Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford has urged United States Trade Representative (USTR) to change course and drop its plan to continue Trump’s illegal tariffs. In a comment letter, the states pushed back on the USTR’s latest proposal of tariffs on the European Union and 59 other countries, after the Supreme Court ruled against their first attempt in February and the Court of International Trade struck down their second attempt in May. Attorney General Ford joined a coalition of 21 other states in signing a letter to the USTR on this matter.

"The courts have spoken: President Trump's attempts to unilaterally impose tariffs are a complete overreach of his powers," said Attorney General Ford. "The president’s continued campaign to institute illegal tariffs has been disastrous for Nevada’s economy and Nevada families. No matter how many times President Trump attempts to impose his tariffs, if his policies bring harm to Nevada, I will meet him in court, and I will win.”

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 argument, concluding that the IEEPA tariffs were unlawful. President Trump immediately turned to a separate law that had never been used before — Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — and announced 10% tariffs on most products worldwide. However, Attorney General Ford and a coalition successfully challenged those tariffs as well.

Now, Trump directed the USTR to investigate the European Union and 59 other countries, which together account for 99.4% of all U.S. imports, to determine whether those countries are doing enough to combat forced labor in global trade. Two and a half months later, the USTR’s report landed on the same conclusion Trump wanted all along: 10% tariffs on 14 economies and 12.5% tariffs on the other 46, with the exact same exceptions as before and no explanation of how the new tariffs will combat forced labor.

A recent analysis by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York concluded that nearly 90% of the costs of tariffs in 2025 were paid by American consumers and businesses. By imposing yet another round of price increases on American consumers and businesses, President Trump is tripling down on failed economic policies.

 According to a November 2025 report by Congressional Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee, Nevada households paid an average of $941 in just the first six months after the tariffs took effect. Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine also calculated that previous tariffs imposed by President Trump have cost Nevada households a total of $2.1 billion between February 2025 and February 2026.

Today’s letter argues that this latest round of tariffs is illegal; outside the scope of the authority Congress gave the USTR; and unsupported by evidence.

Joining Attorney General Ford in signing the letter are the co-lead attorneys general of Arizona, California and Oregon, as well as the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

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