US trade representative says core tariff strategy will continue after court ruling

ANKARA

The US trade representative said the Trump administration will maintain its core tariff strategy and honor existing trade agreements despite a Supreme Court ruling limiting the president’s unilateral emergency tariff powers.

Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation” with Margaret Brennan, Jamieson Greer said trading partners have not signaled any intention of abandoning negotiated agreements.

He said that although one legal pathway for imposing tariffs was blocked, the president retains authority under other existing laws, particularly those addressing unfair trade practices and national security concerns.

“We’ll just use the congressional authorities they’ve extended already for now,” Greer said, underscoring the administration’s commitment to advancing the president’s tariff program through those channels.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde earlier described the Supreme Court decision as a “significant check” on executive overreach. She cautioned that continued trade uncertainty could weigh on global growth and said businesses need greater predictability to preserve recent stability in US-EU trade relations.

Trade tensions between the US and the European Union have persisted during Trump’s second term. In 2025, the administration reinstated high tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles, threatened reciprocal duties and reached a July 2025 agreement capping many EU exports to the US at 15%. Implementation of that deal has faced delays amid renewed tariff escalations and uncertainty.

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling on Feb. 20, invalidated the challenged tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.