White House readies fresh tariffs as 10% levy to expire

WASHINGTON — The United States is set to impose new tariffs that could hit dozens of countries soon, trade envoy Jamieson Greer signaled on Tuesday, with President Donald Trump's temporary global levies due to expire this week.

The administration has prepared fresh tariffs targeting 60 trading partners over their alleged failures to act against "forced labor", as officials push to rebuild the US leader's trade agenda after legal setbacks.

"We expect to see some action soon," Greer told CNBC when asked if new duties were incoming. He did not specify a timeline.

Trump imposed a 10-percent global duty this year after many of his tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court in February, but this levy expires on Friday.

Analysts expect that new tariffs over forced labor concerns — set between 10 percent and 12.5 percent — would replace these temporary duties.

They come as Trump makes a renewed push to use tariffs as leverage against US trading partners, sparking fears of retaliation and diplomatic tensions.

Washington announced a fresh 25-percent duty on certain Brazilian goods last week, and on Monday unveiled a 50-percent levy on many Canadian products to take effect in 30 days.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that he was looking at "all options", adding that he and Trump had agreed to "intensify discussions" in the coming weeks on a possible deal.

On Tuesday, Trump announced a new 100 percent sector-specific tariff on imported generic drugs to take effect from August 2028, with that level rising to 200 percent in 2029.

Generic drugs

For now, the US leader said the tariff on generic drugs would be cut to zero from August 2026, in an effort to create a window to onshore such pharmaceutical production to the United States.

Swiss generic drugmaker Sandoz said on Wednesday it would continue discussions with policymakers.

Greer said on Tuesday that new action will cover the majority of US trade, with the moves likely to reignite trade tensions.

The EU previously said that it considers tariffs imposed on these grounds "unjustified".

Washington's planned 50-percent tariff on Canada also comes as US-Mexico talks over a North American free trade pact intensify. Washington recently declined to extend the accord in its current form.

Greer is set to travel to Mexico from Wednesday to Friday for discussions linked to a joint review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

US plans for a 25-percent tariff on Brazilian goods over accusations of unfair trade practices have separately drawn a sharp rebuke from the Latin American giant. The levy is due to take effect on Wednesday.

A range of products like beef, coffee and certain aircraft parts will be exempted, as will some goods that the United States does not produce.

Still, Amcham Brasil recently warned that Washington's measure places Brazil among countries "facing the most restrictive conditions for access to the US market", affecting more than $11 billion in exports.

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