The United States is investigating 59 countries and the European Union for potential tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, according to a Statista Chart of the Day published this week. The probes come as temporary global duties of 10 percent expire Friday, following a Supreme Court decision in February that struck down country-specific tariff measures. Nations under investigation span Latin America, North Africa, the Arabian Gulf, and the Asia-Pacific region, and could face new levies if found to be violating U.S. trade rules.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has already announced replacement tariffs: 25 percent on a range of Brazilian goods starting July 22 and 50 percent on specific Canadian imports beginning August 19. The Canadian tariff uses Section 338 of the Trade Act, while the Brazil levy invokes Section 301, which permits Washington to retaliate when foreign nations break trade agreements or engage in practices that burden U.S. commerce. Separate tariffs ranging from 10 to 50 percent on aluminum, steel, copper, automobiles, trucks and their parts, lumber, timber, and semiconductors remain active under Section 232, with modifications for the European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. A new 100-percent pharmaceutical tariff takes effect July 31, though exceptions and lower rates apply for countries with existing import agreements or onshoring deals, and generic medications receive a two-year delay.
The report notes that two Section 301 investigations focus on countries' failure to halt forced labor practices and their excess manufacturing production, both of which allegedly harm American commercial interests. The Office of the Trade Representative has proposed tariffs of 10 to 12.5 percent for nations violating U.S. bans on importing products made with forced labor, though no tariff announcement has been made regarding excess manufacturing capacity. According to the report, U.S. tariffs on foreign imports previously relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act as legal justification, but the Supreme Court determined these measures exceeded the act's authority to regulate commerce during national emergencies stemming from foreign threats.
The shift to Section 301 investigations reflects the administration's effort to establish a legal foundation for tariffs after the Supreme Court's February ruling limited emergency powers. Section 301 allows the U.S. Trade Representative to act when foreign countries engage in "unjustified, unreasonable or discriminatory" practices, providing broader authority than emergency statutes. The concentration of investigations across multiple regions suggests the administration is building a comprehensive tariff framework rather than targeting individual trading partners. With 59 countries and the EU under review, the scope extends well beyond traditional trade disputes with China or immediate neighbors.
The forced labor and excess manufacturing investigations signal two distinct policy priorities that could reshape global supply chains. If the proposed 10 to 12.5 percent forced labor tariffs are implemented across multiple countries, businesses may face pressure to document labor practices throughout their supply networks or shift sourcing to lower-risk nations. The lack of announced tariff levels for excess manufacturing leaves open the possibility of significantly higher duties, particularly if the administration views overcapacity as a strategic threat. With Friday's deadline marking the end of the temporary 10 percent global tariff, companies importing from the 59 nations under investigation face uncertainty about which products will be hit and at what rates.