Trump declares a national emergency
President Donald Trump has announced that foreign trade and economic practices have created a national emergency, and in response, he has issued an executive order to impose retaliatory tariffs to protect the U.S. economy and American workers, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
According to a White House press bulletin, Trump is exercising his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to address the national emergency caused by a large and persistent trade deficit, as well as a lack of reciprocity in trade relations with other countries.
Using his powers under IEEPA, Trump will impose a 10% tariff on all countries, which will take effect on April 5 of this year.
Additionally, the U.S. president will introduce higher individual retaliatory tariffs for countries with which the U.S. has the largest trade deficits. All other countries will remain subject to the basic 10% tariff. These changes will take effect on April 9.
These tariffs will remain in place until Trump determines that the threat posed by the trade deficit and the underlying non-reciprocal trade regime has been eliminated or mitigated.
The IEEPA order also includes provisions allowing for an increase in tariffs if trade partners implement retaliatory measures.
However, certain goods will not be subject to retaliatory tariffs. These include:
- Goods covered under 50 USC 1702(b): postal and telegraph communications; donations of food, clothing, and medicine intended to alleviate human suffering; information or informational materials (films, posters, records, photographs, CDs, artworks, etc.); and accompanied personal baggage for personal use.
- Steel/aluminum products and cars/auto parts already subject to earlier tariffs; copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber; energy and other specific minerals that are unavailable in the United States.
For Canada and Mexico, existing IEEPA directives related to fentanyl and migration remain in effect and are not affected by this order. This means that:
- Goods that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will continue to be tariff-free (0%).
- Goods that do not comply with USMCA will be subject to 25% tariffs.
- For energy and potash not compliant with USMCA, a 10% tariff will apply.
If the existing IEEPA directives on fentanyl and migration are revoked, USMCA-compliant goods will continue to receive preferential treatment, while non-compliant goods will face a 12% reciprocal tariff.
Trump believes these tariffs are necessary to ensure fair trade, protect American workers, and reduce the trade deficit—calling it a national emergency.
Earlier, it was reported that the Trump administration had included Kazakhstan in the list of countries subject to new trade tariffs under the “America First” policy.