U.S. to impose new tariffs on 60 trade partners

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U.S. to impose new tariffs

Highlights

The U.S. will impose new tariffs on 60 trade partners, impacting over 99% of U.S. trade, in response to alleged forced-labor violations.
New duties, enacted under Section 301, do not layer onto existing Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs, while potential revenue remains undisclosed.
Recent measures include a 25% tariff on most U.S. imports from Brazil and upcoming 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, intensifying tariff-driven trade strategy.

Tariff rollout tied to forced-labor findings

As reported by CNBC, senior administration officials said the new tariffs apply to 60 trade partners and cover more than 99% of U.S. trade, with the measures framed as a response to alleged forced-labor violations. The duties are being imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, after the administration in early June concluded that the targeted countries failed to effectively ban forced-labor practices in trade with the U.S.

Officials said the new import taxes do not stack on top of existing steel and aluminum levies imposed under Section 232 on national-security grounds. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative told CNBC it could not provide an estimate of how much revenue the new tariff regime will generate.

A senior administration official described the action as the broadest international labor-rights tariff step ever taken by the United States. The administration is also still pursuing a separate Section 301 investigation announced in March that focuses on excess manufacturing capacity across 16 economies, but that probe has not yet been finalized.

Trade strategy revives after legal setbacks

The tariff move highlights how the White House is intensifying its use of trade barriers after major legal setbacks earlier this year hit President Donald Trump's wider protectionist agenda. After the Supreme Court struck down his global "liberation day" duties on Feb. 20, Trump said he would impose a worldwide 10% tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 trade law, but that measure carried a 150-day limit and now expires as the new tariffs begin.

The administration has recently expanded tariff pressure on other trading partners as well. A 25% tariff on most U.S. imports from Brazil took effect Wednesday, while 50% tariffs on a broad range of goods from Canada are due to begin next month.

In Senate testimony on Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the administration remains committed to using tariffs and negotiating deals to support reindustrialization, protect American workers, raise wages and reduce the trade deficit. The latest tariff package reinforces that approach as trade policy becomes a central tool for both industrial strategy and diplomatic leverage.

Canada’s public consultation on how it administers tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for certain steel imports outlined Ottawa’s review of a system introduced in June 2025 to curb trade diversion and respond to global excess capacity. Our publication previously noted that the current framework relies on shipment-specific permits issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and that any changes could affect import planning and supply chains for businesses buying covered steel products.

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