WASHINGTON – Today, Ambassador Jamieson Greer is taking final action, at President Trump’s direction, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 by imposing a 25% tariff on certain goods of Brazil. This follows a yearlong investigation by USTR that determined that certain Brazilian measures related to digital trade and electronic payment services; unfair, preferential tariffs; anti-corruption interference; intellectual property protection; ethanol market access; and illegal deforestation are unreasonable and burden or restrict the commerce of American farmers, workers, innovators, and exporters. This action comes after the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) convened two public hearings, received over 360 public comments, and negotiated intensively with the Government of Brazil to seek resolution of U.S. concerns.
“Safeguarding American economic interests against unfair trade practices is the bedrock of President Trump’s America First policies. Whether it is punishing U.S. technology companies for refusing to censor political speech, backsliding on anti-corruption enforcement, or allowing Brazilian farmers to exploit illegally logged land to gain an advantage over American farmers, Brazil’s unfair trading practices have prevented U.S. workers and producers from accessing this important market with over 210 million consumers,” said Ambassador Greer. “Today’s action is necessary to address these unfair trade practices to ensure American workers and companies can compete on a level playing field. Extensive negotiations with Brazil over the past year have not resolved these issues, but we remain open to continuing negotiations with Brazil to bring about long-needed changes to the problems identified in this investigation.”
To view the Federal Register Notice, click here.
Background
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (Trade Act), is designed to address unfair foreign practices affecting U.S. commerce. Section 301 may be used to respond to unjustifiable, unreasonable, or discriminatory foreign government practices that burden or restrict U.S. commerce. A Section 301(b) investigation examines whether the acts, policies, or practices are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce.
At the specific direction of the President, on July 15, 2025, the U.S. Trade Representative (Trade Representative) initiated an investigation under Section 302(b)(1)(a) of the Trade Act regarding the acts, policies, and practices of the Government of Brazil related to digital trade and electronic payment services; unfair, preferential tariffs; anti-corruption enforcement; intellectual property protection; ethanol market access; and illegal deforestation. On July 15, 2025, the Trade Representative requested consultations with Government of Brazil pursuant to Section 303(a) of the Trade Act, which were held on April 15 and 16, 2026. On September 3, 2025, USTR and the Section 301 Committee convened a public hearing regarding the investigation.
On June 1, 2026, the Trade Representative determined under that certain of Brazil’s acts, policies, and practices related to these areas are unreasonable and burden or restrict U.S. commerce, and are thus actionable under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act. As a result of this determination, the Trade Representative proposed responsive action and invited the public to provide written comments by July 1, 2026, on the proposed action. USTR received, reviewed, and analyzed over 360 written comments. On July 6 and July 7, USTR also held a public hearing regarding proposed responsive action in the investigation, at which 77 witnesses testified.
A copy of the Federal Register Notice is available here.
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