US Proposes Levies of at Least 10% as Trump Rebuilds Tariff Wall

Containers at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, US, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The US Census Bureau is scheduled to release US imports and exports figures on April 2. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Photo by David Paul Morris /Bloomberg

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(Bloomberg) — The US is proposing tariffs of at least 10% on imports from most major trading partners following an investigation into goods allegedly produced by forced labor, as President Donald Trump seeks to rebuild the sweeping tariff wall struck down by the US Supreme Court.

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The 10% rate would apply to imports from Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Taiwan and the UK, among other places, according to a statement from the Office of the US Trade Representative. Products from other major economies, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland, would be subject to a 12.5% levy.

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The trade office said it was imposing the lower rate on goods from economies that impose prohibitions on forced labor import prohibitions or have committed to doing so, while those “that have failed to impose and effectively enforce” them received a higher rate. 

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The move is a major step in Trump’s push to reinstate the country-by-country tariffs he imposed during his first year in office before they were deemed unconstitutional. The recommended duties are a result of probes launched under a separate legal authority known as Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

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The levies won’t go into effect immediately and are subject to a public comment and review period before implementation, which could result in changes before any duties are codified. Written comments are due to be submitted by July 6, and a Section 301 panel is expected to convene public hearings beginning on July 7, according to the notice.

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“The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labor is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement. “We will no longer tolerate this disparity.”

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The move will test the tolerance of the largest US economic partners, who have largely restrained from retaliating against Trump’s tariffs, opting instead to negotiate deals to lower import taxes and ensure market access.

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The forced-labor probes were just one prong of the administration’s effort to revive Trump’s tariffs. There are a separate raft of 301 investigations into US trading partners’ excess manufacturing capacity. 

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There are several proposed exceptions to the tariff regime. Apparel and textile imports from some countries would be able to enter the US at a reduced tariff rate — with those quotas set according to the volume of US exports of textiles to those nations. Other products are exempt from the tariffs entirely, including beef, tomatoes, bananas, coffee, orange juice and other food items. Metals, which are already covered by other levies, are excluded, as are certain fuels and chemicals. 

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Trump’s broad trade agenda suffered a sharp blow in February when the Supreme Court struck down levies he imposed using emergency powers. The 301 probe into forced-labor practices initially targeted around 60 economies.