Trump slaps new tariffs on 80+ trade partners, including Israel

The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs on over 80 trading partners, including a 12.5% duty on Israeli goods, one of the highest rates in the package. These tariffs, announced by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and effective Thursday night, aim to pressure countries to strengthen enforcement against goods produced with forced labor. The U.S. government did not accuse Israeli manufacturers of using forced labor but argued that Israel lacks an explicit legal prohibition on importing such goods, deeming this an "unreasonable obstacle to U.S. trade."

• The new tariffs replace previous temporary duties and are based on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, previously used for Chinese imports.
• U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated, "The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it. [I]t’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same."
• Critics, including Senator Ron Wyden, questioned the forced labor justification, calling it a "legal pretext" to reconstruct global tariffs.
• Exemptions apply to oil, natural gas, agricultural fertilizers, civilian aviation equipment, and generic pharmaceuticals.