The Trump administration is advancing a significant expansion of its trade agenda, imposing new tariffs on imports from roughly 60 countries that have not enacted laws banning goods produced with forced labor. The duties, set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. on July 24 as earlier temporary tariffs expire, link U.S. tariff policy directly to international labor standards. Under the policy, countries that prohibit imports made through forced labor will generally face a 10% tariff, while those without such measures will face a 12.5% rate. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer framed the move as both a human rights and trade fairness issue.
“The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” Greer said. “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.” The lower 10% rate will apply to imports from countries including Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom. India secured the reduced rate after adopting legislation aimed at keeping forced-labor products out of its supply chains.
Tariff Rates by Country and Region
The European Union, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland will face either 10% or 12.5% tariffs depending on the product, with most other covered nations subject to the higher rate. Officials are imposing the duties under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which authorizes responses to foreign practices deemed unfair or discriminatory. The approach follows the Supreme Court’s invalidation of earlier “Liberation Day” tariffs and is intended to provide a more durable legal foundation.
Oil and natural gas imports are exempt, and the new tariffs will not stack atop existing Section 232 national-security duties on products such as steel and aluminum. Although the measures cover approximately 99% of U.S. imports, administration officials said they are not expected to cause major economic disruption because many of the rates align closely with those already in place. The action continues an aggressive trade strategy that recently included tariffs of up to 50% on certain Canadian goods, broadening the use of import duties to pressure trading partners to eliminate forced labor from global supply chains.
