Trump rolls out temporary import taxes

President Donald Trump’s administration this week began hearings for a new round of tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier emergency import taxes in February. (abcnews.com) The White House replaced the voided tariffs on February 20 with a temporary 10% import surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The duty took effect on February 24 and lasts 150 days. (whitehouse.gov 1) (whitehouse.gov 2) That stopgap expires on July 24, so the Office of the United States Trade Representative is trying to move tariff policy onto sturdier legal ground. Hearings opened Tuesday and Wednesday on whether 60 economies fail to police goods made with forced labor. (abcnews.com) A second set of hearings is scheduled for next week on whether 16 trading partners, including China, the European Union and Japan, are overproducing goods and depressing prices for U.S. manufacturers. The administration says those cases also could end in new tariffs. (abcnews.com 1) (abcnews.com 2) The legal switch matters because Section 301 works differently from the emergency law Trump used in 2025. It requires an investigation by the trade representative into foreign practices deemed unreasonable or discriminatory before tariffs can be imposed. (cnbc.com) Trump is also leaning on Section 232, the national-security tariff law he used in his first term. On April 2, he issued a proclamation strengthening tariff actions on aluminum, steel and copper imports. (whitehouse.gov) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the administration intends to replace the revenue lost after the Supreme Court ruling with new import taxes. Importers and foreign governments have questioned whether the new investigations will produce a neutral process. (abcnews.com) The reach can get very specific. Bloomberg reported that even Radio Flyer’s red wagons are caught up in tariff scrutiny tied to forced-labor allegations and claims of excess industrial capacity. (bloomberg.com) For companies that import into the United States, the near-term clock is clear: the temporary 10% surcharge runs out on July 24 unless the administration replaces it first. The hearings underway this week are the bridge to whatever comes next. (whitehouse.gov) (abcnews.com)