Trump to impose ‘forced labour’ duties as temporary 10% US tariffs expire

The Trump administration is set to implement new tariffs on goods from 60 trading partners, including the European Union, as a temporary 10% global tariff expires. These new duties, set at 10% and 12.5%, are justified by allegations of lax enforcement of forced labor bans.

This action represents a significant effort by the White House to reinstate President Trump's campaign promise of widespread tariffs. The tariffs are being imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, allowing the administration to maintain a tariff floor on almost all US imports, even after the Supreme Court struck down previous "reciprocal" duties. The new measures are expected to face fewer legal challenges than their predecessors.

The tariffs will affect 99.4% of US imports, though certain items like oil, gas, and specific food products are exempted. The US Trade Representative stated that the action aims to address human rights abuses and unfair trade practices. Countries like Argentina, Bangladesh, Britain, and Canada will face a 10% duty, while the EU, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea will see combined rates of 10% or 12.5%. China, accused of detaining Uyghur minorities, is assigned a 12.5% rate, with plans to potentially increase it further in the future.

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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. Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere.