Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, VITAL BRIEFING—Tariff levels look to tick upwards, (Jul 17, 2026)
While President Trump’s tariffs have varied widely across countries and imported products over time, the Washington, D.C.-based Trade Policy Center now forecasts average rates will begin to rise again in the near term, eventually exceeding 10 percent.
In this edition of Tariff Insights, Thomas Thompson reflects upon the ever-changing approach and statutory authorities relied on by Trump administration to maintain a robust tariff program in aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision earlier in the year to invalidate the sweeping tariff authority the president claimed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Thompson observes that although the volatility in tariff levels has generally flattened recently, significant tariffs imposed for certain product groups and countries are still very much in the president’s tariff mix.
Some of the matters Thompson explores in the article also include:
The administration’s recent imposition of 25 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports based on a finding of unfair trade practices by Brazil, despite the U.S. having a $14.4 billion trade surplus with Brazil in 2025.
The administration’s resistance to issue refunds of tariffs collected under the IEEPA, notwithstanding the Court of International Trade ordering the government to make full and timely repayments for all refunds. Customs and Border Patrol maintains that it will only issue refunds after an importer sues the CBP, and the agency has been ordered to make payment of the refund amount.
A recent presidential proclamation that directs the Commerce Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to pursue negotiations to reduce the level of commercial aeronautic imports rather than relying on the imposition of tariffs to address national security issues.
To read the piece, click on Tariff levels look to tick upwards.
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