Trump Administration Considers Temporary 15% Tariffs for 150 Days Under Existing Law

Trump Administration Considers Temporary 15% Tariffs for 150 Days: The Trump administration is considering imposing temporary tariffs of up to 15% on a wide range of goods from around the world for 150 days, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The report, released on Thursday, states that the US government is exploring the use of an existing law that allows tariffs of up to 15% for a period of 150 days.

However, it is worth noting that no final decision has been made, and there is no official confirmation.

The Donald Trump administration started exploring a "Plan B" after a trade court blocked its tariff strategy, ruling that Trump had overstepped his authority.

The administration has not made a final decision, and it could wait to impose any plans, the report added.

The report emerged a day after a federal appeals court temporarily allowed his duties to stay in effect following a trade court ruling to immediately block them.

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As per the report, US officials are now weighing a “twofold response” should they need to find a new legal authority to impose the president’s steep tariffs, which he argues will help rebalance trade in America’s favor.

The move aims to buy more time for Trump to create specific tariffs for each vital trading partner. He could do this using another part of the same law, which is meant to stop unfair trade actions by other countries.

The report cites people familiar with the discussions, stating that “no final decision has been made yet.” The measure, if adopted, would mark a fresh attempt to reassert tariff policy amid legal uncertainty.

The law under consideration permits the United States government to impose temporary tariffs without congressional approval, capping both the rate and the duration. According to the Journal, “President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a stopgap effort to impose tariffs on large parts of the global economy under an existing law that includes language allowing for tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days.”

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The backup plan comes after a federal appeals court on Thursday allowed the existing tariffs to remain in place while the administration challenges the lower court’s ruling. However, because the legal basis for the policy is uncertain, officials are now looking at other ways to protect the president’s trade agenda.

However, the government may also wait before moving forward, as a federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily brought back some of the biggest tariffs put in place by the Republican President.

“An unlimited delegation of tariff authority would constitute an improper abdication of legislative power to another branch of government,” the judges wrote in their decision.

The court added that Congress never granted the president unlimited power to increase tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), the law Trump cited to justify his actions.

However, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stayed the previous day’s federal trade court decision, stating that stopping the tariffs would be “critical for the country’s national security.”

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