The Trump administration seeks a Plan B for tariffs that allows for a maximum 15% tariff to be imposed within 150 days.

According to Gate News bot, the Wall Street Journal reports that this week a court ruled that Trump’s use of emergency economic powers to impose comprehensive tariffs is illegal, which undermines the government’s tariff strategy.

On Thursday, a federal appeals court allowed its tariffs to remain in effect during the government’s appeal, but sources say that due to threats to this strategy, the president’s team is considering dual countermeasures. According to sources, first, the government is considering a stopgap measure to impose tariffs on a large portion of the global economy under a never-used provision of the Trade Act of 1974, which includes allowing tariffs of up to 15% to be imposed within 150 days to address trade imbalances with other countries.

This will buy time for Trump, designing personalized tariffs for each major trading partner based on different provisions of the same law to combat unfair foreign trade practices. The second step requires a lengthy notice and comment process, but government officials believe this step is legally more defensible compared to the tariff policy deemed illegal this week. Insiders also say that talks remain uncertain, and the government has not made a final decision.

Source: Jinshi