USTR opens Section 301 hearings
- The U.S. Trade Representative opened April 28-29 hearings on Section 301 cases against 60 economies over forced-labor import bans, with possible new duties. - A separate Section 301 track targets 16 economies, including China, the European Union, Mexico, Japan and India, over manufacturing overcapacity hearings starting May 5. - The cases follow the Supreme Court’s February tariff ruling and could rebuild a broader tariff base through trade law. (federalregister.gov)
The Office of the United States Trade Representative opened two days of Section 301 hearings on April 28 and April 29 covering 60 economies and their forced-labor import rules. (ustr.gov) These cases are not product-by-product tariff reviews. USTR said it is examining whether foreign governments failed to impose and effectively enforce bans on goods made with forced labor, and whether that burdens U.S. commerce. (ustr.gov) The hearing schedule shows labor groups, business associations and manufacturers testifying in Washington, including the Consumer Technology Association, the American Soybean Association, the National Cotton Council and Constellation Brands. (ustr.gov) USTR’s March 12 notice said the 60 economies are among the largest U.S. trading partners. The agency requested consultations with those governments before deciding whether to impose duties or other import restrictions. (ustr.gov) Section 301 is the trade law the United States uses to answer foreign practices it says are unreasonable, discriminatory or harmful to American commerce. It lets USTR investigate first and then recommend tariffs or other restrictions. (ustr.gov) A second Section 301 push is already queued behind this week’s hearings. USTR initiated separate investigations on March 11 into structural excess manufacturing capacity in 16 economies, with hearings scheduled for May 5 through May 8. (federalregister.gov) (ustr.gov) That manufacturing list includes China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Japan and India. The Federal Register notice says USTR is looking at overproduction, persistent trade surpluses and unused capacity in manufacturing sectors. (federalregister.gov) The legal backdrop is the Supreme Court’s February decision striking down Trump’s broad emergency tariffs, which pushed the administration toward Section 301 and other trade authorities that rest on a different statute. Lawyers tracking the case said Section 301 offers a more established route for country-specific trade penalties. (jdsupra.com) The immediate deadline is not the end of this week’s testimony. USTR’s notices say rebuttal comments are due seven calendar days after the last day of each hearing, leaving the agency to build a record before deciding on any new duties. (federalregister.gov) (ustr.gov) For now, the story is less about tariffs already imposed than about the machinery to impose them. USTR has opened two large Section 301 cases at once, and this week’s hearings are the first public test of that strategy. (ustr.gov) (federalregister.gov)
