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Trump administration races the clock to rebuild US tariff wall knocked down by Supreme Court
The White House is pursuing Section 301 cases against 60 countries and 16 trading partners, with proposed tariffs of 10% and 12.5%, officials said.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is racing to finalize new Section 301 tariffs on dozens of nations before current Section 122 levies expire on July 24, seeking to replace lost revenue after recent legal defeats.
After the Supreme Court struck down IEEPA-based tariffs in February, federal revenue from import taxes plummeted from more than $31.4 billion last October to a $25.6 billion loss in June, forcing the administration to seek new legal authority.
The administration proposed 10% tariffs on 16 countries and 12.5% on 44 others, citing investigations into forced-labor practices and overproduction spanning 60 economies accounting for 99% of U.S. imports.
Trade attorneys warn the new strategy faces potential court challenges, though former U.S. trade official Sarah Bianchi noted "Section 301s have been pretty legally durable." Procedural requirements including public comment periods remain incomplete.
Caleb Petitt, a research associate at the Independent Institute, cautioned that the "persistent search for new tariff justifications" may fail to restore revenue, potentially leaving taxpayers to cover the fiscal shortfall.