r/politics • u/sweatycat New York • 1d ago

California to Negotiate Trade With Other Countries to Bypass Trump Tariffs

https://www.newsweek.com/california-newsom-trade-trump-tariffs-2055414
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u/smartens419 1d ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Act#Constitutional_authority_for_foreign_relations

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u/LackingUtility 1d ago

Yes, would you like it explained to you?

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u/smartens419 1d ago

Sure, enlighten me on how that doesn't apply to Newsom negotiating with foreign countries during a trade war.

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u/LackingUtility 1d ago

Sure, happy to help! State governments, like anyone else, are allowed to purchase things from foreign manufacturers. For example, if you buy something on Temu, you're not violating the Logan Act and interfering with a dispute between the US and China. That's also true for the California state government. They can even decide to exclusively buy products from Chinese manufacturers, and they are still not negotiating with a foreign government. And if that decision is encouraged by China exempting certain products from their own tariffs, that's also not a violation. None of this places any obligations on the US and therefore also doesn't interfere with the executive's power to negotiate treaties either.

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u/smartens419 1d ago

This is all correct, and none of it addresses Newsom negotiating with foreign countries to remove certain products from their tariffs.