After President Donald Trump‘s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs were dealt a setback by the Supreme Court on Friday, the administration is now reportedly weighing fresh national security–based tariffs across multiple industries.
Broad Section 232 Tariff Push
The proposed tariffs may impact sectors including large-scale batteries, cast iron, plastic piping, industrial chemicals, and telecommunications equipment. They would be implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which grants the president authority to impose tariffs on goods deemed a national security risk, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The timeline for the tariff investigations, conducted by the Commerce Department, and the imposition of the tariffs remains uncertain. Section 232 requires investigations before any tariffs can be imposed, but once in place, the president may adjust them unilaterally.
Beyond the newly proposed probes, the administration was already weighing Section 232 tariffs on nine industries—including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, drones, industrial robots, and solar-grade polysilicon. Many of those investigations were launched nearly a year ago, and officials may now fast-track some of them following last week’s Supreme Court ruling.
The administration is also pressing ahead with plans to overhaul existing national security tariffs on steel and aluminum. While the changes may lower headline tariff rates, they would apply duties to the full value of imported products rather than just their steel or aluminum content — potentially resulting in higher overall tariff costs for many companies.
The White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.
Tariff Decision Sparks Global Pushback
The proposed Section 232 tariffs would be distinct from other duties announced by Trump following the Supreme Court ruling, which is to increase the global tariff rate to 15% from 10% for a period of five months, in addition to the several tariffs scheduled under Section 301 of the Trade Act thereafter.
The president criticized the Supreme Court’s decision as “anti-American.”
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the European Commission urged the U.S. to respect its trade agreements and provide “full clarity.” The Commission expressed concern that the current situation could hinder achieving “fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial” trans-Atlantic trade and investment. At the same time, China said that it was assessing the impact and called for the removal of unilateral tariffs.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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