Trump Proposes to Bring Back Sweeping Tariffs

The Trump administration is planning to bring back another round of sweeping tariffs across the globe, further endangering US ties with other nations after the Supreme Court blocked the initial tariffs announced last year.

The new tariffs would include levies of 12.5% on 54 trading partners, with additional 10% tariffs on six other nations. As a whole, the administration is utilizing the justification that the tariffs reciprocate a lack of effort in preventing exports involving forced labor; therefore, they claim that these nations are able to gain an unfair advantage over US competitors due to the resulting lower prices. A second investigation into the matter is currently underway, meaning that the proposed tariffs could still rise even further in the coming weeks.

Under the Trade Act of 1974, the US government is allowed to impose temporary tariffs upon other nations that maintain harmful trade policies of their own– in this case, the authorization of importing and exporting goods made with forced labor.

The tariffs could bring prices up even further during a time where the costs of gas and groceries have skyrocketed, in addition to rising inflation and a weakening economy.

The move also comes several months after the US Supreme Court decided in February that Trump's sweeping tariffs from April 2025 were unconstitutional– he used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 to justify those levies, but the court ruled that he had overextended his power. Because of this, the government has already been forced to refund more than $20.6 billion in collected tariffs, and estimates place the total amount collected under the rescinded measure as up to $166 billion.

However, officials have argued that many foreign commodities would be exempt from the levies. All goods covered by the United States' free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, known as the USMCA, would be excluded, automatically guaranteeing that more than 20% of US imports would arrive tariff-free. The officials also confirmed that certain goods within agricultural, clothing, and energy industries would also be left out of the tariffs.

On top of this, the administration has maintained that they will follow guidelines established through specific trade deals with certain countries. For example, the nation's recent trade deals with the European Union and Japan restrict tariff levels to no more than 15%, and officials have confirmed that they will honor those restrictions.

Nevertheless, many believe that they will be quickly struck down across the judicial branch– sweeping tariffs across 60 nations was likely not the intended use for the tariff sections listed in the Trade Act, and Democrats are sure to launch measures attempting to take down the measures.

An official hearing on the tariffs will take place on July 7, meaning that written public comments will be accepted until the day before. This will allow the measures to be further shaped by businesses and organizations before it goes into effect, though it will certainly be attacked by numerous lawsuits upon its establishment.

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