On July 24, 2026, new taxes on imported goods — called tariffs — took effect on products coming from the 60 biggest trading partners of the United States. The tariffs come in two rates: 10 percent and 12.5 percent. They cover 59 countries plus the European Union (NPR).

The U.S. Trade Representative, the government's top trade official, said these countries account for more than 99 percent of all goods imported into the United States. The administration said the tariffs are a response to those countries allowing goods made with forced labor into their markets. A USTR fact sheet said: "The United States is the only country in the world to adopt, and effectively enforce, a ban on imports made with forced labor" (USTR Fact Sheet).

The new tariffs started right after a temporary 10 percent tariff on all imports expired at 12:01 AM Eastern on Friday, July 24, 2026. That temporary tariff had been put in place on February 24, 2026 — four days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a broad set of President Trump's earlier tariffs (White & Case, The Hill).

On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court found that Trump's earlier tariffs, imposed under a law called IEEPA, were unlawful. Those tariffs had been the basis for the April 2, 2025, "Liberation Day" tariff action (Levy Institute, Federal Register).

The same day as the ruling, Trump said at a White House press briefing that "other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected" and "we have alternatives, great alternatives" (NPR).

A senior administration official told reporters the timing was intentional "to avoid complexity" for businesses paying the tariffs. Energy and many foods are exempt from the new tariffs. The administration also added new fees on Canadian imports and threatened future tariffs on pharmaceuticals during the same period (NPR).

The administration has placed tariffs on steel, aluminum, copper, timber, and pharmaceuticals through a series of presidential actions. A steel proclamation from February 18, 2025, imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel from most countries (Federal Register). Later proclamations in April and June 2026 strengthened and adjusted actions on aluminum, steel, and copper (Federal Register, Federal Register).

A September 2025 action on timber and lumber set a tariff rate scheduled to rise to 30 percent on January 1, 2026. It also said those products would not face the earlier "Liberation Day" tariffs (Federal Register).

On March 12, 2026, the U.S. Trade Representative opened 60 investigations into whether countries were failing to act on forced labor. USTR later published findings and proposed actions from those investigations (USTR Press Release). Separately, USTR imposed a 25 percent tariff on certain imports from Brazil and raised tariffs on tungsten products and wafers (USTR).

The Supreme Court ruling also prompted the White House to end certain tariff actions. A proclamation issued February 20, 2026, ended Executive Order 14245, which had imposed tariffs on countries importing Venezuelan oil in March 2025 (White House).

U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer testified at a congressional hearing the week of July 24, 2026. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, accused the administration of lying about its tariff motivations during that hearing (NPR).

Trump has also announced targeted exemptions. On May 1, 2026, he said he will exempt UK-origin whiskey from tariffs, though no official document had been released at the time of the announcement (Trade Compliance Resource Hub).

The administration's tariff policy also includes national security tariffs on pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients, with an adjustment action issued in April 2026 (White House).

The broader context here is how the administration shifted from the legal tool the Supreme Court struck down to a different law — Section 301 — as its main way to impose broad tariffs. The temporary 10 percent tariff served as a bridge between the court's February ruling and the new two-tier system that took effect in July. The forced labor rationale gives the new tariffs a legal basis that has held up in court in previous trade cases.