United States of America

US Imposes New Tariffs on Top Trading Partners, Citing Forced Labor

Is this a fix to unfair trade or another round of sham tariffs?

Published 2 days ago

US Imposes New Tariffs on Top Trading Partners, Citing Forced Labor

Story

Above: The Maersk Newcastle container ship at the Port of Long Beach, California, on July 17. Image credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

American workers have been undercut for decades by goods made abroad with forced labor, and these tariffs finally hold trading partners accountable and level the playing field. Now that the Trump administration is enforcing a law that has been on the books for over a century, countries that want lower rates have a clear path: get serious about banning forced labor goods.

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on X

Rapid Response 47 on X

Bruce LeVell on X

Anti-Trump narrative

These forced labor tariffs are a predetermined sham, as the conclusions were announced before the investigation even closed. The U.S. itself uses prison labor, paying pennies an hour, and hasn't ratified the core international forced labor treaty, making the moral case laughable. Tariff rates track which countries signed trade deals with Trump, not how well they actually protect workers.

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