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| ▲ This photo, released by Reuters, shows U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer arriving for U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 24, 2026. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) USTR-tariff
(LEAD) USTR says new U.S. global tariff will rise to 15 pct or higher for some countries
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout)
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday that a new U.S. global tariff will rise to 15 percent or higher from 10 percent for some countries, as President Donald Trump's administration is taking steps to replace its sweeping emergency tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court.
Greer made the remarks during a Fox Business interview, after the high court ruled Friday against Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to justify country-specific "reciprocal" tariffs and other duties.
"Right now, we have the 10 percent tariff. It'll go up to 15 (percent) for some and then it may go higher for others," Greer said. "I think it will be in line with the types of tariffs we've been seeing. We want to have continuity in this program."
He did not mention any particular country that will face a higher tariff.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration started imposing a temporary 10 percent global tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. Prior to its implementation, Trump threatened to raise it to 15 percent.
Greer has also unveiled plans to conduct trade investigations under Section 301 of the same act, which he said are expected to cover "most major trading partners."
During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump hinted that his administration may roll out tariffs that are "even stronger than before."
Noting the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to replace the invalidated IEEPA tariffs, Greer said that a court loss this month does not prevent the administration from "essentially reconstructing" its trade policy.
"I've been in constant contact with our trading partners to help them understand how the replacement tools go along with the trade deals we've made with them," he said.
He reiterated that Section 301 allows the USTR to investigate "unfair" trade practices on a country-by-country basis, including forced labor in supply chains, industrial excess capacity and discrimination against U.S. digital tech companies.
He elaborated on the Section 301 process in detail.
"The way this works is we conduct public investigations. We'll put out a Federal Register notice. We have these prepared. They should be launched over the next few days and weeks, and they will start a public comment process," he said.
Then, there will be hearings with companies affected by unfair trading partners, and the USTR will also have consultations with trading partners, he said.
"And then we will do a report, and we will purport our findings on all of this, (and we) will calculate the amount of harm to the American people caused by these unfair trade practices," he said. "If these things aren't resolved by our partner countries, then we can impose a tariff."
Following the trade investigations, the president can impose a tariff or a fee on services, among other things, Greer said, noting that the president has "a lot of leeway" on what he can do.
"When the president talks about the case actually resulting in him having a stronger program ... this is what he's talking about," Greer said of Trump's remarks during his address on Tuesday night.
"It is a very detailed public process that allows him to put into place very durable tariffs under existing law."
The USTR stressed that Section 301 investigations for potential tariffs are an "enforcement mechanism" to make sure that countries comply with bilateral trade deals with the Trump administration.
Trump has been leveraging tariffs as a centerpiece of his administration's efforts to reduce America's trade deficits, bolster domestic manufacturing and foreign investments, and increase federal revenue.
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