Trump Pursues New Tariffs

Following the United States — Supreme Court of the United States' ruling in February that Donald Trump overstepped his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs, the United States government must refund $166 billion to importers. To replace the lost revenue and maintain protectionist policies, Donald Trump's administration initially imposed temporary 10% Section 122 tariffs, which expire on July 24. Now, the United States — United States Trade Representative, led by Jamieson Greer, is initiating new investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. These investigations target 60 economies, including Nigeria and Norway, for forced labor practices, and 16 major trading partners, including China, the European Union, and Japan, for overproducing goods. Critics like Scott Lincicome of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research suggest the outcome is predetermined, as Scott Bessent, the United States Treasury secretary, has already indicated new import taxes will replace the old ones. The accelerated timeline of these investigations has also drawn skepticism from legal experts like Kenya Davis and Joyce Adetutu.