President Donald Trump’s trade team has launched sweeping investigations into 16 major U.S. trading partners, setting the stage for a potential new wave of tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down the administration’s previous duties last month.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced Wednesday that his office would investigate China, the European Union, Japan, India, South Korea, Mexico and ten other economies for allegedly flooding global markets with excess manufacturing capacity. The probe could justify new import taxes on everything from steel and semiconductors to processed foods and solar panels before summer arrives.
The move represents the administration’s most aggressive attempt yet to resurrect its tariff agenda following a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling on February 20 that invalidated President Trump’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act duties. Within days of that decision, Trump imposed a 10% global tariff using Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974—a balance-of-payments authority he later increased to 15%. But that levy can only survive 150 days before Congress must vote on extending it, with expiration looming around July 24.
The Section 301 investigations offer a workaround with no built-in time limits or caps on tariff rates. Greer told reporters his office plans to complete the probes before the current 150-day window closes, potentially giving the administration unlimited authority to maintain or expand duties on major trading partners. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently predicted that by August, U.S. tariffs would return to the levels that existed before the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“Our view is that key trading partners have developed production capacity that is really untethered from the market incentives of domestic and global demand,” Greer said at a press briefing.
A second investigation targeting roughly 60 countries was launched Thursday, examining whether foreign governments effectively ban imports of goods made with forced labor. That probe includes Canada and the United Kingdom, neither of which appeared on the manufacturing excess capacity list.
The manufacturing probe targets economies Greer claims produce far more than their domestic populations consume. Countries allegedly achieve this through subsidies, suppressed wages, state-owned enterprises, lax environmental rules and currency manipulation. The result, according to administration officials, displaces U.S. factories and prevents American manufacturing expansion.
The investigations cover 20 manufacturing sectors including aluminum, automobiles, batteries, cement, chemicals, electronics, energy goods, glass, machine tools, machinery, paper, plastics, processed foods, robotics, satellites, semiconductors, ships, solar modules, steel and transportation equipment. Several targeted countries have recently signed trade agreements with Washington, including Indonesia, which secured a landmark deal in February eliminating tariffs on over 99% of U.S. products exported to that market.
Unlike the president’s previous tariff proclamations, Section 301 probes include public comment periods and hearings. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will accept written comments through April 15, with a public hearing on manufacturing excess capacity scheduled to begin May 5. A separate hearing on forced labor practices is set for April 28.
The comment docket opens March 17, giving stakeholders exactly one month to weigh in before the deadline. Greer has requested formal consultations with all 16 governments named in the manufacturing investigation.
Canada’s absence from the manufacturing probe list drew attention, though the country faces scrutiny in the forced labor investigation. The European Union appears on both lists, as do China, Japan, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Mexico, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Greer indicated more investigations could follow. He told reporters the administration expects to launch additional Section 301 probes on a country-specific basis, potentially including examinations of rice and seafood markets. However, the trade representative said he does not anticipate new Section 232 national security investigations in coming weeks.
The timing carries significant diplomatic weight. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend in Paris for trade talks, laying the groundwork for President Trump’s state visit to Beijing from March 31 to April 2—the first trip by an American president to China since Trump’s 2017 visit during his first term.
Section 301 authority permits the trade representative to impose tariffs, import restrictions or other trade measures in response to unfair foreign practices. The 1974 statute has no predetermined limits on duty rates or duration, giving the administration significantly more flexibility than the balance-of-payment law underlying the current global tariff.
The investigations launch as the administration scrambles to rebuild its tariff architecture following the Supreme Court’s February decision. Whether this new legal foundation proves more durable than its predecessor will likely depend on the courts—and on whether Congress extends the Section 122 tariffs before they expire in July.
