Trump Launches Section 301 Trade Probes Against 18 Economies
Trump opened Section 301 trade investigations against 18 economies including China, Mexico, and the EU on March 13, 2026, after the Supreme Court struck down previous tariffs. These probes rebuild trade policy on legally defensible ground, with new tariffs expected to follow.
Section 301 tariffs historically hit specific product categories hard — China-sourced goods face the highest exposure. Sellers sourcing from any of the 18 targeted economies should model a 10-25% landed cost increase now, before tariff schedules are published.
This is a second wave of trade policy tightening under firmer legal footing — expect sustained margin compression for sellers reliant on imports from targeted economies, accelerating the shift toward nearshoring and domestic sourcing.
Pull your COGS breakdown by country of origin today -- if China, Mexico, or EU represents over 30% of your sourcing, begin supplier diversification or price increase modeling immediately.
In the next 30 days, request HTS codes from all suppliers and cross-reference against the USTR Section 301 product exclusion lists to identify which SKUs are most exposed.
Bottom Line
New Section 301 probes mean tariff cost spikes are coming for China, Mexico, EU-sourced products.
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New Section 301 probes mean tariff cost spikes are coming for China, Mexico, EU-sourced products.
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18 economies targeted including China, Mexico, and the EU
Focus on the operational implication, not just the headline.
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