Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will sign an executive order imposing a new 10% tariff on imports from all countries, a dramatic escalation of his trade agenda following a major legal defeat before the Supreme Court of the United States.
The announcement came after the Supreme Court’s 6–3 ruling struck down a broad set of global tariffs the administration had imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), finding that the law does not authorize the president to unilaterally levy broad import taxes without explicit approval from Congress. “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, according to a report by Reuters.
The new duty is slated to take effect on February 24 for 150 days, with exemptions remaining for sectors that are under separate probes, including pharma and goods entering the US under the US-Mexico-Canada agreement, according to a White House factsheet.
US trading partners that reached tariff deals with Trump’s administration will now also face a 10 per cent duty, despite higher levels they may have agreed on previously, the White House said, as reported by NDTV.
What about India trade deal?
Trump later said that the Supreme verdict changes “nothing” for the India-US trade deal. “They’ll be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs. So the deal with India is they pay tariffs…. It’s a fair deal now, and we are not paying tariffs to them, and they are paying tariffs. We did a little flip…The India deal is on…all the deals are on, we’re just going to do it” in a different way,” Trump said.
New Tariff Under Different Legal Authority
According to reports, Trump said the new 10% tariff will be imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, “over and above our normal tariffs already being charged.” The levy is expected to remain in effect for about five months (150 days) while the administration conducts investigations that could support longer-term or higher duties under other statutory trade authorities.
Trump’s Reaction to the Supreme Court
Trump sharply criticized the Supreme Court ruling, calling it “deeply disappointing” and saying he was “ashamed of certain members of the court.” He claimed the decision ultimately clarifies presidential authority to regulate trade under other statutory tools, even if it prohibited charging tariffs under IEEPA.
