The United States will impose new tariffs ranging between rates of 10 percent and 12.5 percent on more than 60 trading partners beginning Friday, the Trump administration announced on Thursday. It comes as temporary 10 percent global levies are due to expire at midnight.
The administration alleges that the 60 affected partners—which include the European Union—have failed to enforce bans on forced labor.
It’s the first major push by the White House to impose across-the-board tariff duties internationally since the Supreme Court in February ruled that President Donald Trump had exceeded his authority with previous global tariffs.
Trump had indicated that his administration would explore alternative routes to imposing international tariffs after the decision.
In the immediate aftermath of the ruling, Trump imposed 10 percent global levies by invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a section of the legislation related to balance of payments crises. It’s these tariffs, which were limited by law to 150 days, that are set to expire at midnight, with the new tariffs to go into effect just as the old ones lapse.
The tariffs set to go into effect Friday also rely on the Trade Act of 1974, this time invoking Section 301 of the legislation, a section related to forced labor.
The tariffs would apply to nearly all U.S. imports, though many will be exempted, according to the administration.
Exempted products include core essentials like oil and gas, as well as fertilizer and food items. Meanwhile, items under Section 232 of the Trade Act, which governs national security tariffs on products such as autos, steel, aluminum and copper, won’t be subject to the new tariffs.
Goods that comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade will also be exempted.
In a press call, a senior administration official refuted suggestions that the forced labor tariffs were merely a direct replacement for the previous tariffs, in spite of their close timing and similar rates.
The official said that the new tariffs were necessary as a result of the United States’ comparably stronger prohibitions on importing goods made with forced labor. Weaker bans in other countries gave them an unfair advantage in global trade, the official said.
The official said that the administration is “responding to [the] call” from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress who have been calling for the eradication of forced labor globally.
