Hassett preps tariff options
A White House adviser, Kevin Hassett, has been reported to be preparing 'alternative tariff options' as contingency levers if trade tensions escalate, according to recent social reporting (x.com). The commentary frames these options as part of a playbook to pressure foreign suppliers without immediate legislative approval (x.com).
Kevin Hassett, the White House’s top economic adviser, is signaling that the administration wants backup tariff tools ready if trade fights widen. (whitehouse.gov) Hassett has served as director of the National Economic Council since January 20, 2025, putting him at the center of President Donald Trump’s trade agenda inside the White House. (whitehouse.gov) The immediate backdrop is a tariff system already in flux. On April 9, 2026, the Federal Register published a presidential proclamation expanding actions on aluminum, steel, and copper under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the national-security tariff law Trump has used repeatedly. (federalregister.gov) Hassett also said on April 9 that Trump could impose a 50 percent duty on imports from countries supplying weapons to Iran, and he pointed to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, as a possible legal path. Bloomberg reported that White House officials were “exploring all available tools.” (bloomberg.com) That matters because the legal footing for emergency tariffs is unsettled. Bloomberg reported that the Supreme Court, in a February 20, 2026 ruling, said IEEPA “does not authorize the president to impose tariffs,” and Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote separately that IEEPA “is not a wartime statute.” (bloomberg.com) So when people talk about “alternative tariff options,” they are usually talking about other statutes the White House can use without waiting for a new act of Congress. Section 232 covers imports framed as national-security threats, while IEEPA is an emergency-powers law the administration is still testing in public arguments. (federalregister.gov) (bloomberg.com) The administration has been presenting tariffs as both pressure and leverage. In an April 14 appearance at Semafor’s World Economy summit in Washington, Hassett discussed Trump’s tariff policy alongside the war with Iran and the broader economy. (archive.org) The White House’s own 2026 Economic Report of the President shows how central trade has become to its economic message. One full chapter is titled “Rebuilding America’s International Trade Policy,” placing tariffs alongside industrial supply chains and the defense industrial base. (whitehouse.gov) Critics argue that shifting from one tariff authority to another can keep import taxes in place even after court setbacks, while supporters say the president needs fast tools when trade and security disputes move quicker than Congress. The next test is whether the administration turns that contingency planning into a formal tariff action that can survive in court. (bloomberg.com) (federalregister.gov)
