This week, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) blocked President Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, as well as proposed tariffs for virtually every country in the world, categorized as “reciprocal” tariffs. The court ruled that the use of IEEPA was exceeded, and the tariffs did not directly address the stated national emergencies. On May 29, U.S. appeals court temporarily blocked the CIT ruling.
While most of the tariffs initially imposed under this IEEPA authority have already been paused or postponed by the administration, a universal 10% tariff on virtually all imports to the U.S., excluding Canada and Mexico, remains in place.
Separately, tariffs imposed through Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 addressing steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. remain in place, and the Commerce Department is currently researching national security concerns that could be used to impose new tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Lumber and other wood products, including composite panels, are included in that study. Under the U.S., Canada, and Mexico Trade Agreement (USMCA) composite wood panels traded among the three North American countries remain free from tariffs if compliant with country-of-origin provisions. See U.S. Court of International Trade and AP News