Companies push back on tariffs

Big U.S. companies are asking the Trump administration not to turn two new Section 301 investigations into another broad round of tariffs. (ustr.gov, ustr.gov, timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Comments filed with the Office of the United States Trade Representative included objections from Delta, Dell, Caterpillar, Ford and Jockey, which said added duties would raise costs and make them less competitive. The same comment push also included industry groups such as the Cheese Importers Association of America. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The two cases were opened on March 11 and March 12, 2026. One covers “structural excess capacity and production” in 16 economies, including China, the European Union, India, Japan and Mexico; the other covers forced-labor import enforcement in 60 economies. (ustr.gov, ustr.gov) Section 301 is the trade law the U.S. uses to answer what it says are unfair foreign government practices. It can end in tariffs or other trade restrictions after USTR gathers comments, holds hearings and consults other agencies. (congress.gov, federalregister.gov, federalregister.gov) The immediate deadline was April 15 for written comments and requests to appear. USTR said the forced-labor hearings are set for April 28, while the excess-capacity hearings are scheduled for May 5 through May 8. (ustr.gov, ustr.gov, ustr.gov) These cases arrived after the administration lost a separate tariff path in court. Congressional Research Service said the March 2026 Section 301 investigations followed a Supreme Court ruling that tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unlawful. (congress.gov, congress.gov) The administration is arguing the opposite case. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the excess-capacity probe is meant to stop other economies from “exporting their problems” into the United States and to support reshoring supply chains and factory jobs. (ustr.gov) Greer said the forced-labor probe is aimed at governments that have not effectively blocked goods made with forced labor from entering their markets, leaving U.S. firms to compete against producers with what he called an artificial cost advantage. (ustr.gov) Companies opposing new duties are arguing that tariffs would land first on U.S. buyers, importers and manufacturers that depend on global parts and finished goods. That split — between the White House case for leverage and corporate warnings about higher costs — now moves into USTR’s hearing process. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, federalregister.gov, federalregister.gov)