Trump rolls new global tariffs
- President Donald Trump is shifting from his voided emergency tariffs to new trade cases, as U.S. hearings this week lay groundwork for replacement duties. - The U.S. Trade Representative opened Section 301 hearings covering 60 economies on forced labor, with separate overcapacity hearings next week for 16 partners. - The Supreme Court killed Trump’s IEEPA tariff strategy in February, but other statutes still leave room for new import taxes. (apnews.com)
The Trump administration is moving to rebuild its tariff program through new trade investigations after the Supreme Court struck down its emergency-duty strategy in February. (apnews.com) (scotusblog.com) This week, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is holding Section 301 hearings on 60 economies over whether they fail to block imports made with forced labor. The agency said the hearings run April 28 and April 29, 2026. (ustr.gov) A second Section 301 track is already queued up for May 5 through May 8, focused on structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors. That investigation covers 16 trading partners, including China, the European Union and Japan. (ustr.gov 1) (ustr.gov 2) The legal shift matters because the court did not reject tariffs across the board. It said the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the 1977 law Trump used for sweeping global duties, does not authorize tariffs. (scotusblog.com) (cbsnews.com) In a 6-3 ruling on February 20, the justices said those tariffs exceeded powers Congress gave the president under that emergency law. The decision covered the broad reciprocal tariffs and fentanyl-related duties tied to China, Canada and Mexico. (scotusblog.com) (pbs.org) Trump answered within hours by signing a proclamation for a temporary 10% import duty under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The White House said the surcharge lasts 150 days, from February 24 through July 24, 2026. (whitehouse.gov 1) (whitehouse.gov 2) That stopgap is why the hearings matter now. Associated Press reported the temporary levies expire in less than three months, pushing the administration to find sturdier legal routes to keep duties in place. (apnews.com) U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in March that American firms should not have to compete with producers benefiting from forced labor. He has also said the administration will not prejudge the Section 301 cases before the record is built. (ustr.gov) (apnews.com) The court fight also left money at stake. SCOTUSblog said importers paid more than $200 billion under the struck-down tariffs in 2025, and the justices did not decide how refunds should work. (scotusblog.com) So the story on April 29 is not a brand-new blanket tariff order. It is a legal and administrative rebuild: temporary 10% duties are ticking toward a July deadline while Section 301 cases are being assembled to support the next round. (whitehouse.gov) (ustr.gov)
