The United States imposed sweeping 10% to 12.5% tariffs on approximately 60 trading partners on July 24, 2026, targeting nations over alleged failures to curb forced labor in supply chains. The duties replaced expired temporary levies following a Supreme Court ruling against emergency trade powers.
The global trade landscape shifted abruptly as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out a broad tariff framework touching roughly 99% of American imports. The new duties, which took effect Friday, range from 10% to 12.5% and span key economic partners including the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Japan, and India. According to the reporting, the measures were enacted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a statute granting the president authority to levy import taxes against trade practices deemed burdensome or restrictive to American commerce.
The US is imposing new tariffs on around 60 trading partners accounting for the vast majority of its imports over claims they failed to properly stop forced labour. The duties, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, target key economic partners – including the UK, China, EU, Canada, Japan and India. They come in on Friday, as a temporary 10% tax on foreign goods introduced earlier this year expires. The move is the latest escalation in the global trade war reignited by US President Donald Trump when he returned to office last year. The US Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that many of the tariffs imposed globally under emergency powers were illegally enacted.
Section 301 Tariffs Replace Expired Temporary Levies
The rollout follows months of legal maneuvering in Washington. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down sweeping global tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, ruling that the administration had overstepped its statutory authority. In response, the White House instituted a temporary 10% worldwide duty under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. That temporary measure was legally capped at 150 days without congressional approval and its July 24 expiration date forced the administration to seek a more durable legal avenue.
The Trump administration is imposing a new global tariff regime designed to take the place of a temporary 10 per cent tariff that expires Friday. The replacement tariffs will apply to goods from Canada, the European Union and nearly 60 other countries. However, Canadian exports that comply with the rules of origin in the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement will be exempt. That means no change to either the rate or the scope of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs for those qualifying goods.
To maintain what international trade lawyers describe as a continuous tariff wall, the administration turned to Section 301 investigations. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended the new regime, arguing that penalizing countries over lax labor enforcement serves a dual purpose. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the new tariffs on 60 countries under Section 301 of the Trade Act on Friday (July 24, 2026), a day before the expiration of 10% additional levies on all countries. The USTR statement said that Mr. Greer had taken the final action, at President Donald Trump’s direction, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 by imposing tariffs on 60 economies for their failure to impose and effectively enforce bans on goods produced using forced labour.
The United States has had a forced labour import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said
Two-Tier Structure and Regional Implications
The Office of the United States Trade Representative established a system targeting imports accounting for 99% of US imports, accusing countries of failing to adequately enforce bans on goods produced using forced labour. Donald Trump’s government has announced new double-digit tariffs on 60 countries, including the UK, after time-limited levies introduced by the president following a Supreme Court defeat expire on Friday. The UK will face a 10% import tariff on goods. Canada could be facing a fresh set of tariffs from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of this week. While the latest trade salvo has to do with rules around forced labour, experts say the real reason is to keep Trump’s “tariff wall” up.
The report by the U.S. Trade Representative said Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and the United Kingdom were among 60 U.S. trading partners that would face additional tariffs for alleged failures.
International Pushback and Bilateral Trade Friction
Donald Trump has threatened tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners including the UK, the EU and Australia over alleged forced labour failures, in the latest attempt to revive his signature trade policy. The proposed levies on partners accused of allowing imports of goods produced by workers under coercion come after the US supreme court ruled in February that the president’s “liberation day” tariffs were illegal. Trump responded by imposing 10% across-the-board duties.
The Trump administration on Tuesday (2 June) proposed imposing additional duties of 10% or 12.5% on imports from 60 economies after determining that their failure to curb trade in goods made with forced labour is unreasonable and restricts US commerce. The proposal from the US Trade Representative’s office (USTR) is the latest finding from a Section 301 unfair trade practices investigation to be released as the Trump administration seeks to rebuild its emergency tariffs, which were struck down by a US Supreme Court decision in February, Reuters reports. The USTR said it determined that it would impose 10% duties related to the forced labour issue.
Mark Carney said Wednesday his government will soon introduce legislation on forced labour in supply chains after the Trump administration proposed a 10 per cent additional tariff on Canada and other countries following an investigation into the issue. Canada has a very strong legislative regime against forced labour in supply chains,
Carney told reporters in Ottawa. We don’t want any element of forced labour coming in goods and services, and we want to use our influence to eliminate this practice of forced labour and child labour.
The office of United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer released a report late Tuesday detailing the findings.
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