The Financial Times reported earlier this week that with the temporary 10% global tariff set to expire this Friday, President Trump is expected to impose a new round of tariffs on dozens of countries as soon as this week. Back in February, after the Supreme Court ruled Trump’s “Liberation Day Tariff” policy unconstitutional, he invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to slap a 10% global tariff on all economies for 150 days.
When asked about this during a CNBC interview, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer responded, “We expect to take some action soon, but I can’t give you an exact timeline right now. Before officially disclosing any details, I have an obligation to brief Congress and other stakeholders first.”
But he stressed again: “We do anticipate moving quickly.”
Greer hinted that the new tariffs could target countries that allegedly “fail to prevent forced labor.”
Earlier, in June, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office announced that the administration plans to impose tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on 60 countries and regions under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, citing “forced labor” concerns, to replace the soon-to-expire global import tariffs. This move has drawn widespread opposition from trading partners.
In the interview, Greer claimed that this Section 301 tariff proposal, covering 60 economies, encompasses “roughly 99% of U.S. trade.”
“That truly shows the scale of the problem we’re dealing with,” he said.
The Financial Times earlier reported that the upcoming tariffs are expected to be on par with the current 10% rate, but the Trump administration is also pushing forward with other investigations that could grant it the legal authority to propose even higher tariffs.
On Monday, the White House also announced it would impose a 50% ad valorem tariff on some Canadian products in response to “discriminatory measures taken by Canada against the United States regarding trade in automobiles and auto parts.”
These tariffs will take effect 30 days after signing (August 19), applying regardless of whether the goods qualify under the USMCA agreement. However, they won’t apply to energy, potash, fish, critical minerals, or other products covered by Section 232 tariffs.
U.S. media noted that this marks a major escalation in America’s trade offensive against Canada and is the first time Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 has been used to retaliate against another country’s “discriminatory measures.”
Greer defended the move, arguing that Canada imposes restrictions on U.S.-made cars, wine, and dairy products. “We’ve always had trade issues with Canada, and it’s been the most contentious part of our relationship,” he said.
On July 21, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had spoken with President Trump by phone after the tariff announcement. Carney also stated that if the new tariffs take effect, Canada would consider all available options in response.