The Trump Administration has proposed coercive new tariffs that would not only raise costs during a national affordability crisis, but would also set a dangerous precedent for executive power.
The new tariffs of 10 percent to 12.5 percent would be imposed on Americans who import goods from countries that allegedly fail to take adequate action against the use of forced labor. It has been illegal to import goods made with forced labor since 1930, as USTR acknowledges. The new tariffs, which would apply to countries that provide 99.4 percent of US imports, would be based on whether other countries maintain and enforce similar measures.
The proposed tariffs, imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, are remarkably similar in scope to the Trump Administration’s illegal 10.8 percent International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs and its illegal 10 percent Section 122 tariffs.
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