Congress has constitutional authority over foreign commerce and tariffs, a power it has partially delegated to the President. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. §1862) authorizes the President to take action if the Secretary of Commerce determines that imports of a good threaten U.S. national se…

This report examines Congress’s constitutional power over import tariffs, Congress’s ability to delegate tariff authority to the President within constitutional limits, the scope of specific authorities Congress has delegated to the President to impose or adjust tariffs, and the ways in which courts have resolved chal…

Title III of the Trade Act of 1974 (Sections 301-310, 19 U.S.C. §§2411-2420), titled “Relief from Unfair Trade Practices,” is often collectively referred to as “Section 301.” Under Section 301, Congress grants the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) a range of responsibilities and authorities to in…

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress power to impose duties and regulate foreign commerce. Congress has delegated some of these authorities to the President through statutes. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. §1862) allows the President to impose restrictions…

In July 2025, the second Trump Administration initiated its first investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, into Brazil’s practices related to digital trade and electronic payment services, tariffs, ethanol market access, intellectual property protection, anti-corruption enforcement, and deforestation.…

In 2025, President Trump has expanded and increased existing steel and aluminum tariffs, imposed since 2018 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. §1862, as amended). Section 232 authorizes the President to impose trade restrictions if the Secretary of Commerce determines that imports of a goo…

In 2025, President Donald Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on U.S. imports of automobiles and certain automobile parts under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. §1862, as amended). Section 232 authorizes the President to take action if the Secretary of Commerce determines that imports of a good “thr…

The United States and the United Kingdom (UK) are among the world’s largest economies and are close trade and investment partners (Figure 1). During the first Trump Administration, following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) (“Brexit,” see text box), the United States and the UK negotiated but did not c…