Trump Part 301 commerce probes to switch IEEPA tariffs

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters earlier than boarding Marine One as he departs from the South Garden of the White Home in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2026.

Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Photos

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced new trade investigations of China, Mexico, the European Union and greater than a dozen different economies, with the objective of changing President Donald Trump 's reciprocal tariffs, which have been lately ruled illegal by the Supreme Court .

The probes, which is able to doubtless broaden to extra nations, can be carried out beneath Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 , U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer advised reporters throughout a name.

That regulation permits the U.S. to impose tariffs on imported items from different nations discovered to have engaged in unfair commerce practices.

Part 301 tariffs might change no less than among the reciprocal tariffs on many of the world's nations that Trump imposed on them final 12 months with out congressional authorization.

"The president's commerce coverage stays the identical," Greer mentioned.

"Shield American jobs and to verify now we have truthful commerce with our buying and selling companions," he mentioned.

Greer mentioned that the Part 301 probes "will cowl acts, insurance policies and practices of sure economies regarding structural extra capability and manufacturing in manufacturing sectors."

"We anticipate that this investigation will uncover quite a lot of unfair buying and selling practices associated to extra capability and manufacturing in manufacturing," he mentioned. "Our view is that key buying and selling companions have nonetheless manufacturing capability that's actually untethered from the market incentives of home and world demand."

He mentioned that has led to massive and chronic commerce surpluses.

Moreover Mexico, China, and the EU, the opposite economies being investigated are Japan, India, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Thailand.

"We do anticipate that there can be different Part 301 investigations on a country-specific foundation, or perhaps different instruments or investigations that will come up," Greer mentioned. "I will not go into an excessive amount of element."

Underneath Part 301, the Commerce Consultant Workplace will obtain written feedback on the probe and maintain a listening to. "We'll even be consulting with our buying and selling companions who're topic to this investigation," Greer mentioned.

"In spite of everything of that, the USTR, we could have our findings and our evaluation, and we'll suggest, if obligatory, a responsive motion," he mentioned. "Responsive motion can take numerous kinds. It may be tariffs, it may be charges on providers, it may be different issues."

Learn extra CNBC politics protection The Supreme Courtroom, in a 6-3 ruling Feb. 20, mentioned Trump didn't have the authority to levy such duties beneath the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act, or IEEPA, as he had claimed he did.

Trump, within hours of that decision, signed an executive order imposing a brand new 10% " global tariff " beneath Part 122 of the Commerce Act. Part 122 tariffs expire inside 150 days.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with CNBC final week, predicted that by August, U.S. tariffs would return to the degrees in impact earlier than the Supreme Courtroom's ruling.

Bessent mentioned that within the coming months, the Workplace of the U.S. Commerce Consultant and the Commerce Division will full trade-related research that will enable them to impose extra tariffs.

"It is my robust perception that the tariff charges can be again to their outdated price inside 5 months, and people are very fulsome authorities," Bessent mentioned.