US tariff rate to hit 15% or more for some nations, Greer says

Greer also said Section 301 investigations can serve as an enforcement mechanism for trade agreements the administration has struck in recent months, including a deal with Indonesia, which agreed to accept a 19 per cent US tariff and open its markets to US goods.

He said USTR would open a Section 301 investigation into Indonesia’s trade practices to examine industrial capacity and fisheries subsidies, and the findings would be compared with steps Indonesia is taking to address US concerns and its commitments under the deal.

“And then we’ll make a determination on what kind of tariff should apply. We expect to have continuity in what we’re doing” with trade deals,” he said.

Greer also told Fox Business that a nearly century-old trade law, Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, was “still good law” and could be useful in certain circumstances where countries discriminate against US trade relative to other countries. The statute allows for tariffs of up to 50 per cent on imports from specific countries.

But he said the primary focus was on country-focused Section 301 probes and strategic industry-focused Section 232 national security probes, where tariffs have proven “very durable.”

“They’ve stood up to legal scrutiny in the past and they will again now,” Greer said.