America has a lot of military might. But our economy is our secret weapon.
And now Trump issued a whole host of new tariffs that put 60 countries on notice.
Trump Administration Slaps Tariffs on 60 Nations for Tolerating Forced Labor, Rebuilding Tariff Wall After Court Setback
The Trump administration announced new tariffs Thursday on goods from 60 trading partners it says have failed to crack down on forced labor, marking one of the administration’s most sweeping trade actions yet as it works to rebuild its tariff regime following a Supreme Court defeat.
USTR Targets Nations Turning a Blind Eye to Forced Labor
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that his office is imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on the 60 economies, covering roughly 99% of all U.S. imports, following months of investigation into forced labor practices among Washington’s top trading partners.
“The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” Greer said in a statement.
“Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere,” he continued.
President Donald Trump ordered the investigations in March under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974, which authorizes the executive branch to impose tariffs on nations engaged in unfair trade practices without requiring congressional approval. The probe covered America’s top 60 trading partners, including the European Union, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and Mexico.
Nations that have made commitments to adopt and enforce forced labor prohibitions will face the lower 10% tariff, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and India, while nations that have not adopted such prohibitions, including China and Vietnam, will be hit with the steeper 12.5% rate. Some goods are exempted from the new levies, including oil and gas, products not produced domestically, and goods already covered by sector-specific tariffs such as steel.
Latest Move to Rebuild Tariff Wall After Supreme Court Setback
The new levies, which take effect at midnight Friday, follow the Supreme Court’s ruling that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not authorize the sweeping “liberation day” tariffs Trump imposed on nearly every country earlier this year, a decision that forced the administration to refund tariffs already collected from importers. In response, Trump imposed a stopgap 10% worldwide tariff under a different statute, Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to levy tariffs for only 150 days — a window that expired Friday.
A senior administration official described Thursday’s forced labor action as “the most sweeping international labor rights action the United States has ever taken, that any country has ever taken,” and said the administration views forced labor as both a human rights concern and an unfair trade advantage that undercuts American workers and businesses.
Officials said some countries had already moved to tighten forced labor enforcement in response to the proposed tariffs, qualifying for the lower rate. Many goods that comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, negotiated during Trump’s first term, remain exempt from the new levies.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney separately accused the U.S. of violating the trade agreement after Trump imposed a 50% levy on some Canadian products this week, though he said Canada would “engage intensively to address any outstanding issues.”
