Thursday, June 4th 2026 - 10:40 UTC
The initiative seeks to replace the tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February, when it found that President Donald Trump had exceeded his authority by using an economic emergency law
The US government proposed tariffs of up to 12.5% on 60 economies —59 countries and the 27-nation European Union— for failing to ban or effectively enforce the prohibition on imports of goods made with forced labor. The measure, announced Tuesday night by Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, relies on Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act and is the White House's most ambitious step yet to rebuild its tariff policy.
Economies that already have a ban, a partial regime or a commitment to prohibit such imports would face an additional 10% tariff —among them Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Taiwan and the United Kingdom— while the rest, including China, Brazil, South Korea, Switzerland and Japan, would be subject to 12.5%.
The initiative seeks to replace the tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February, when it found that President Donald Trump had exceeded his authority by using an economic emergency law. Unlike other mechanisms, Section 301 sets no limits on the level or duration of duties. The administration also appealed a ruling requiring it to repay about 166 billion dollars collected under the invalidated tariffs, and it has an open investigation into “excess manufacturing capacity” among 16 of its main partners.
