CSIS this week released a new commentary from senior adviser William A. Reinsch, arguing that USTR investigations found all 60 countries guilty of forced-labor violations, confirming one prediction, but the remedy — flat tariff rates rather than links to previously negotiated trade agreements — did not match what the author had forecast.
The commentary states that the findings accompanying the tariffs lack country-specific evidence and appear perfunctory, leaving the administration exposed to legal challenges that could succeed in specific cases where overreach can be demonstrated.
Reinsch writes:
Looking at the report that accompanied the announcement of the tariffs, it is clear there are vulnerabilities in the administration’s argument. Although the report is 98 pages, which seems hefty, most of it is devoted to a discussion of why forced labor is bad and why it disadvantages the United States. The findings with respect to each of the 60 countries are two or three paragraphs each, simply asserting that the country in question “failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced labor import prohibition.” No evidence is presented for that conclusion, and in most cases, there is no elaboration on what the country has or has not done.
Read the full commentary: Half right on forced labor tariffs