Greer says the tariffs "will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice"
Jamieson GreerU.S. Trade Representative, in a USTR press release announcing the final action
In USTR's July 23, 2026 announcement of the final action, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the tariffs "will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere." He said he was encouraged by trading partners that had moved quickly to adopt forced-labor import prohibitions and looked forward to ensuring their effective enforcement. Earlier in the release he says President Trump recognizes that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labor from global supply chains, and that the United States has had a forced-labor import ban for nearly a century.
Responding to
USTR determined on June 2, 2026 that each of 60 economies' failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce, and on July 23, 2026, at the President's specific direction, imposed additional duties of 10% or 12.5% as the appropriate action under Section 301 to obtain the elimination of that practice.
“Today's action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere. I am encouraged by the trading partners who have moved quickly to adopt forced labor import prohibitions, and look forward to ensuring their effective enforcement.”
Official statement
Original text
Where this statement fits
Are Trump's Section 301 "forced labor" tariffs a lawful remedy, or a pretext to revive struck-down global tariffs?
On July 23, 2026, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, at President Trump's direction, imposed additional tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on imports from 60 economies under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The duties took effect July 24. USTR says each economy failed to impose and effectively enforce a ban on imports of goods made with forced labor, which it found unreasonable and a burden on U.S. commerce. Businesses and 25 states sued in the Court of International Trade. They say the forced-labor rationale is a pretext for re-creating the global tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February, and that USTR skipped the country-by-country findings the statute requires. The Justice Department says USTR made findings for all 60 economies on a record of data, testimony and public comments. A three-judge panel heard argument on September 30, 2026. As of that date, no court had ruled on the Section 301 tariffs. The disputed question is whether the tariffs are a lawful remedy under Section 301 or a pretext to revive the struck-down global tariffs.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
USTR's announcement of the final action. It lists the 17 economies at 10% (Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom), the net-of-most-favored-nation rates for the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Switzerland, and 12.5% for every other investigated economy. It gives the investigation timeline and quotes Greer.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original text
About this source
USTR's notice of final action in the 60 forced-labor investigations. It sets the 10% and 12.5% additional duties effective 12:01 a.m. eastern time on July 24, 2026, lists the product exemptions and tariff-rate quotas, and says each action is taken in accordance with the specific direction of the President. USTR released the notice on July 23, 2026 and the Federal Register published it on July 28.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
USTR determined on June 2, 2026 that the 60 economies' failure to impose and effectively enforce a ban on imports of goods made with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce, proposed duties of 10% and 12.5%, and held a second round of hearings on July 7 to 9. The release, issued the day before the duties took effect, says Greer acted at President Trump's direction.
After the quotation
The duties took effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern time on July 24, 2026. USTR's fact sheet issued the same day says the action covers 99.4% of U.S. imports. Businesses and states have since argued in court that the forced-labor rationale is a pretext for re-creating the tariffs the Supreme Court struck down, and the Justice Department disputes that. As of September 30, 2026, no court had ruled.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the Section 301 forced-labor tariffs, Greer presents them as a justified response to a human rights abuse and a trade distortion and as a way to push trading partners toward import bans. That defends the tariffs as a proper use of Section 301, so we used Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because he also says he will watch enforcement, but that sentence adds no condition to his support.
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More from this case
Read the full caseFormer trade officials Hills, Wolff and Maruyama tell the court the administration is turning "targeted authority" into "a sweeping power"
“This case concerns the Executive Branch's attempt to transform that targeted authority into a sweeping power to impose broad, economy-wide tariffs untethered from the statute Congress enacted. The text, structure, and history of Section 301 demonstrate that Congress intended the provision to address specific foreign acts, policies, or practices identified through a meaningful investigation and supported by findings of harm to U.S. commerce.”Read statement
Justice Department brief says USTR's actions are "consistent with the text, object, and purpose of the Section 301 statute"
United States Department of Justice
“The actions that USTR has taken at the direction of the President in this case are consistent with the text, object, and purpose of the Section 301 statute, as well as with the President's firm commitment to create a level playing field for U.S. workers, producers, and exporters by conditioning access to the U.S. market on concrete action to prohibit international trade in forced labor goods. The investigations and responsive actions under Section 301 are the culmination of decades of efforts by the U.S. Government to eradicate forced labor from international supply chains. USTR followed Section 301's "demanding procedural prerequisites" when taking those actions.”Read statement
Learning Resources and six other plaintiffs say the government's determinations are "pretextual and preordained"
Learning Resources, Inc.
“To be clear, Plaintiffs do not condone reliance on forced labor or forced-labor imports. But that is not the real issue here. Defendants' pretextual and preordained determinations do not satisfy the statutory requirements of Section 301 or the applicable Administrative Procedure Act ("APA") standards. The charade must stop.”Read statement
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- Greer says the tariffs "will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice"
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The Dispute Index. "Greer says the tariffs "will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice"". First published: 2026-10-01. Last updated: 2026-10-01. https://disputeindex.com/events/3954-in-ustr-s-july-23-2026-announcement-of