PANews reported on January 8 that four people familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump is considering declaring a national economic emergency to provide a legal basis for imposing a large number of general tariffs. The declaration would allow Trump to use the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) to develop a new tariff plan, which unilaterally authorizes the president to manage imports during a national emergency. One of the sources pointed out that Trump likes this law because it grants broad jurisdiction over how to implement tariffs without strict requirements to prove that the tariffs are for national security reasons. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.