Supreme Court nixes tariff; White House seeks new import taxes
- The Trump administration opened U.S. Trade Representative hearings Monday on new Section 301 tariffs, replacing import taxes the Supreme Court threw out in February. - The first probe covers 60 economies tied to forced-labor enforcement failures; a second hearing on May 5 targets 16 trading partners over manufacturing overcapacity. - The Court’s 6-3 ruling ended tariffs imposed under emergency powers, pushing the White House toward slower trade-law procedures. (scotusblog.com)
The Trump administration opened hearings Monday on a new path to tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down its emergency-based import taxes in February. (ustr.gov) (scotusblog.com) The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is holding April 28-29 hearings on whether 60 economies failed to prohibit imports made with forced labor. The hearings began at 10 a.m. at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington. (ustr.gov) (federalregister.gov) A second Section 301 case is already queued up for May 5-8. That investigation covers 16 trading partners, including China, the European Union, Japan, Mexico and India, over what U.S. officials call structural excess capacity in manufacturing. (federalregister.gov) Section 301 is a trade law that lets the United States answer what it deems unfair foreign practices with tariffs or other penalties. It is slower than a presidential emergency order because it requires a formal investigation, public comments and hearings. (federalregister.gov 1) (federalregister.gov 2) The shift follows the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling on February 20 that Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The justices said that 1977 law did not let him impose the sweeping tariffs he announced by executive order. (scotusblog.com) The court did not settle what happens to all the money already collected. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said more than 330,000 importers paid about $166 billion on more than 53 million shipments, and a refund portal opened this month. (finance.yahoo.com) As of April 14, 56,497 importers had registered for refunds totaling $127 billion, including interest, according to Customs and Border Protection. The agency said approved claims will generally take 60 to 90 days to pay. (finance.yahoo.com) The new investigations show the White House is not backing away from tariffs after the court loss. It is rebuilding them through a process that is more procedural, more targeted and likely to face a new round of court fights. (usnews.com) (politico.com)
