TechFlow News, February 22: U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the global import tariff rate—previously imposed via executive order the day before—would be raised from 10% to 15%, effective immediately.
This move follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found Trump’s prior invocation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad “reciprocal tariffs” and certain tariffs targeting fentanyl trafficking to be unlawful and beyond his statutory authority, resulting in the invalidation of those tariffs. Trump subsequently turned to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits the president to impose temporary tariffs of up to 15% on imports from all countries in cases of trade imbalance, for a maximum period of 150 days (any extension would require congressional approval—a provision never previously invoked).
In his post, Trump claimed that many countries had “taken advantage of the United States for decades” and stated that new “lawful tariff” measures would be identified and implemented over the coming months. The tariff applies globally (though certain critical goods—such as energy and critical minerals—may be exempted), aiming to address the U.S. trade deficit but potentially triggering global trade tensions, inflationary pressures, and retaliatory tariff risks.
