US: Tariff investigations to be completed within 5 months

 US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the country expects to complete a series of trade investigations within the next five months.

This move aims to create a legal basis for President Donald Trump to impose new tariffs, replacing those recently struck down by the Supreme Court.

Greer's statements on March 3rd provided the most specific timeline to date for the White House's plan to reinstate President Trump's tariff system. Following the court ruling on February 20th, the President imposed a global basic tariff, a tariff he has the right to maintain for up to 150 days without congressional approval.

"Before the five-month deadline expires, we will complete our investigations," Greer affirmed during a White House meeting between President Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "We understand that many countries have signed agreements and they are very keen to uphold those commitments."

To achieve this goal, Mr. Greer emphasized: "We need to review and investigate all unfair trade practices to ensure the economic security of the United States." The U.S. Trade Representative stated that the investigations will be conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the White House to impose retaliatory tariffs on countries deemed to be restricting U.S. trade.

The U.S. has already launched Section 301 investigations into China, Brazil, and Nicaragua. However, Greer did not disclose the list of next countries that will be targeted.

For his part, President Trump stated: "We are conducting research and field analysis. Then, the U.S. will announce new tariffs, applied flexibly to each different country."

U.S. trading partners are scrambling for details on Trump's tariff roadmap, after a Supreme Court decision sparked renewed uncertainty in global trade. Officials from several major economies have expressed concern that Trump's plan could violate tariff reduction agreements reached last year.

Previously, President Trump had imposed an initial 10% tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act and planned to increase it to the legally mandated maximum of 15%, although the administration had not yet officially implemented this higher tariff. Late last month, the European Union (EU) suspended ratification of the trade agreement with the US. EU lawmakers stated they needed clearer clarification from the Trump administration before taking further steps.

In addition to Section 301, the Trump administration is also planning to open investigations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the President to impose tariffs based on national security concerns. The White House believes that tariffs imposed under this authority would be more likely to withstand legal challenges.

During the meeting, President Trump expressed confidence that most countries wanted to preserve agreements signed prior to the Supreme Court ruling. "They all want to maintain the agreements, so we should be able to do that fairly easily," President Trump concluded.

Source: VTV