Trump Administration Starts Probe That Could Justify New Tariffs

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Bernama-dpa) -- The US administration has launched investigations that could pave the way for new tariffs after recent legal setbacks for President Donald Trump's trade policy, reported German news agency dpa.

The Office of the US Trade Representative said on Wednesday the probe will examine whether structural overcapacity in manufacturing sectors in the European Union and other economies is harming the US economy.

In addition to the EU, the investigation will cover Switzerland, Norway, China, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, India and several other Asian countries.

The review is based on a provision of a 1974 trade law that the United States has previously used to impose punitive tariffs, including against China.

In February, the Supreme Court barred Trump from imposing tariffs by executive order under a different law. Since the start of his second term in January 2025, Trump had introduced import duties on goods from dozens of trading partners without congressional approval.

Following the ruling, Trump said he would use other tools to pursue his tariff policy and quickly introduced new temporary duties.

Public hearings on the newly ordered investigation are scheduled for May and the governments of the affected countries will also be consulted. It was not specified which manufacturing sectors would be examined.

The announcement also noted that some countries, including Germany, run large trade surpluses, citing exports from sectors such as automobiles, machinery, pharmaceuticals and chemicals.

--BERNAMA-dpa