After pulling back for the moment on threatened 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, China is the only country facing imminent tariffs over fentanyl smuggling. The 10% tariffs will be added to most favored nation duties or, for goods subject to Section 301 duties of either 25% or 7.5%, to those duties and the underlying MFN rates.
Two Democrats have introduced a bill in the Senate that, if it becomes law, would prevent a president from levying tariffs on free-trade partners, on NATO members and on major non-NATO allies without congressional approval.
President Donald Trump told reporters that there are no concessions Mexico, Canada or China could make to avoid tariffs on Feb. 1, which he wants to use to punish them for trade deficits, fentanyl trafficking, and, in the case of Canada and Mexico, migration across their borders.
North America trade expert Dan Ujczo, from Thompson Hine, was expecting 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico to begin Jan. 20.
The Trump administration could be laying the groundwork to take broad and sweeping action on trade policy around April 1 when an internal review on U.S. trade policy is due, according to trade lawyers from Barnes Richardson.
President Donald Trump railed against the trade stance of the European Union, as he often has, as he talked about tariffs and trade deficits with reporters as he signed executive orders on the first day of his second term.
On his first day in office, the president directed the heads of agencies that deal with trade, tariff collection and trade remedies to:
No goods subject to special trade remedies -- 99.9% of which are subject to Section 301 tariffs -- would be able to enter as de minimis shipments under a proposed rule released by CBP Jan. 17.
Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for treasury secretary, told the Senate Finance Committee that they should think about how tariffs will be deployed by thinking of three categories.
Facing Fentanyl, the Victims of Illicit Drugs and Families Against Fentanyl withdrew their Section 301 petition that asked the U.S. Trade Representative to double the 25% tariffs on Section 301 tariffs on lists 1 and 2 and asked the government to exclude Chinese goods from de minimis (see 2410180039).