# USTR proposes forced-labor tariffs on 60 economies — Trump's post-IEEPA tariff vehicle
> After the Supreme Court voided IEEPA tariffs, Section 301 becomes the new, uncapped lever against China, India, the EU and dozens more

**Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-06-02 · heads: Whose Money, The Quiet Shift · 12 takes · 3 lenses · 6 regions

## Summary

On 2 June 2026 the [Ustr](/en/entity/ustr) concluded 60 Section 301 investigations and proposed tariffs of 10%
(14 economies with partial or unenforced forced-labor bans) to 12.5% (46 economies) for failing to
bar goods made with forced labor. The 12.5% list includes [China](/en/entity/china), India, Vietnam, Japan, South
Korea, Brazil and Russia; the 10% list covers Canada, Mexico, the [European Union](/en/entity/european-union), Indonesia,
Pakistan and Britain. The move is [Donald Trump](/en/entity/donald-trump)'s principal tariff vehicle after the Supreme
Court ruled in February that IEEPA does not authorise tariffs — Section 301 carries no statutory
cap on rate or duration. Comments run to 6 July; a hearing is set for 7 July. It runs alongside the
[Trump reshapes steel, aluminum and copper tariffs with US-content carve-outs](/en/n/trump-metals-tariff-revamp) and the unresolved [Trump declines to renew USMCA, triggering a decade of annual reviews](/en/n/usmca-non-renewal) dispute.

## By the numbers

- 60 — economies investigated (covering ~99.4% of US imports).
- 46 at 12.5% / 14 at 10% — proposed tariff bands.
- 12 March — investigations opened; findings 2 June.
- 6 July comment deadline / 7 July hearing.

## Why it matters

Section 301 restores broad tariff power the courts denied Trump under IEEPA, repackaged as
human-rights enforcement. With no cap on level or duration and allies like Canada and the EU
swept in, it gives the [United States](/en/entity/united-states) a durable, litigation-resistant tool to reshape trade by
fiat — and a fresh front in the tariff fights with Brasília and Brussels.

## What to watch

- Whether final rates land at the proposed bands after the 7 July hearing.
- Retaliation threats from China, the EU and other 12.5% targets.
- Fresh court challenges testing Section 301's reach.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### unlabelled
- **USTR (press release)** (United States, en) — Office of the US Trade Representative announces findings in 60 Section 301 investigations and proposes 10–12.5% tariffs over forced-labor enforcement failures, with a comment window to 6 July and a hearing 7 July.
  Source: https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2026/june/ustr-makes-findings-and-proposes-action-60-section-301-investigations-relating-failures-take-action
- **USTR (full Section 301 report, PDF)** (United States, en) — Full investigative report underpinning the proposed action.
  Source: https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Releases/2026/USTR%20Report%20Sec%20301%20FL%20301%206-2-26%20FINAL%20for%20upload.pdf
- **Al Jazeera** (Qatar, en) — 
  Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/6/3/us-cites-forced-labour-concerns-as-grounds-for-new-tariffs
- **Euronews** (European Union, en) — 
  Source: https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/06/03/new-us-tariff-plan-targets-eu-and-dozens-of-economies-over-forced-labour-imports
- **CNBC** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/03/us-tariffs-60-economies-dection-301-forced-labor-trade-practices-.html
- **Washington Post** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/06/03/trump-administration-announces-new-tariffs-over-use-forced-labor/
- **NBC News** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/trump-tariffs-forced-labor-trade-rcna348229
- **Fox Business** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-administration-plans-new-tariffs-60-trading-partners-over-forced-labor-import-enforcement-failures
- **Business & Human Rights Resource Centre** (United Kingdom, en) — 
  Source: https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/global-us-tariffs-on-60-countries-with-concerns-of-forced-labour-highlight-need-for-stronger-action-in-supply-chains/
- **FreightWaves** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/u-s-cites-60-countries-for-forced-labor-failures-imposes-new-tariffs-up-to-12-5

### Asian supply-chain business
- **Nikkei Asia** (Japan, en) — Reads the proposal through Asian export exposure — Japan, South Korea and ASEAN on the 12.5% list — and as a deliberate workaround after the Supreme Court stripped Trump's IEEPA tariff authority. Stresses the absence of a statutory ceiling on Section 301.
  > "US floats new tariffs on 60 economies over forced labor, including China."
  Source: https://asia.nikkei.com/economy/trade-war/trump-tariffs/us-floats-new-tariffs-on-60-economies-over-forced-labor-including-china

### Canadian public broadcaster
- **CBC News** (Canada, en) — Foregrounds Canada's inclusion among the six economies with bans deemed unenforced, explaining how a measure framed around Xinjiang-style abuses sweeps in close US allies at the 10% band.
  > "Why Canada is among the countries hit by Trump's forced-labour tariffs."
  Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-tariffs-forced-labour-explained-9.7221691

## Across the graph
- Related: [[usmca-non-renewal]], [[trump-metals-tariff-revamp]], [[lula-trump-tariff-standoff]]
- Entities: Donald Trump, United States, Ustr, China

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