Insights

On his first day in office, President Trump rolled out a sprawling set of directives to the heads of numerous government agencies charged with shaping U.S. trade policy.  While stopping short of enacting new tariffs, the Presidential Memorandum defining an “America First Trade Policy” lays the investigative groundwork for potentially sweeping changes to tariffs and the existing trade environment.   The Memorandum requires various agencies—including, e.g., the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Treasury, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”)—to issue upward of twenty reports by April 1, 2025, each one covering a unique trade-related issue pertaining to certain key themes, including unfair and unbalanced trade with all U.S. trading partners, the relationship and impact of trade relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the state of economic security matters relevant for goods entering and exiting the United States. 

President-elect Donald Trump plans to impose widespread tariffs when he takes office in late January 2025. He has stated that one of his first executive orders will be to impose a 25% tariff on all products imported from Canada or Mexico. Products imported from China, such as metals, coatings, plumbing components and HVAC parts, could face an additional 10% tax above current tariffs. The imposition of such tariffs will have significant implications for megaprojects, including large infrastructure developments like highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, and railways, as well as large-scale energy projects like power plants, oil and gas facilities, and renewable energy installations.

President Donald Trump’s planned (or proposed) tariffs in his second administration may have a profound impact on megaprojects, including large infrastructure developments like highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, and railways, as well as large-scale energy projects like power plants, oil and gas facilities, and renewable energy installations.

On March 2, 2023, two proclamations were published to the Federal Register announcing additional tariffs on imports into the United States of certain Russian products.

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On August 18, 2017, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched a formal investigation pursuant to Section 301 of the Tariff Act of 1974 on the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The probe sought to determine whether the acts, policies, and practices of the PRC related to technology transfer, intellectual property, trade secrets, and innovation were discriminatory towards U.S. firms and undermined the United States’ ability to compete fairly in the global market. Section 301 allows the President to seek removal of any act, policy, or practice of a foreign government that violates an international agreement or that unfairly burdens or restricts U.S. commerce.

On March 8, President Trump officially signed proclamations imposing a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum pursuant to Section 232(b) of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

On March 1, President Trump abruptly announced his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The day started with conflicting news reports as to whether the president would announce his decision to impose tariffs, followed by the spontaneous announcement by President Trump during a White House meeting with key U.S. steel and aluminum executives.

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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has initiated an investigation under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. § 1862) to determine whether steel is being imported into the U.S. in such quantities or under such circum­stances as to threaten to impair national security. The Department of Commerce (DOC) now has 270 days to conduct an investigation and prepare a report on its findings for submission to the president.