Democrats accuse Trump of using forced labor as ‘convenient’ justification for tariffs

Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC on 23 July 2026. Photograph: Samuel Corum/EPA View image in fullscreen Donald Trump at the White House in Washington DC on 23 July 2026. Photograph: Samuel Corum/EPA Democrats accuse Trump of using forced labor as ‘convenient’ justification for tariffs US president faced criticism after officials announced tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on more than 80 countries US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump has been accused of using forced labor as “a pretext” to impose a fresh wave of tariffs on dozens of countries, as critics warned of higher prices for Americans. The US president faced swift criticism from Democrats after his officials presented their latest effort to make his signature economic policy permanent following a string of high-profile legal setbacks. Some Republicans also expressed concern. Hours before a temporary US duty of 10% on many countries was due to expire on Friday, the Trump administration announced new tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on more than 80 countries, including the UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, India, China and European Union members. Trump imposes fresh tariffs on UK, EU and dozens of other trading partners Read more The new tariffs are being implemented under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to bypass Congress to instate tariffs designed to punish countries using forced labor to export goods to the US. Trump “recognizes that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labor from global supply chains”, said Jamieson Greer, his US trade representative, on Thursday, adding it was “well past time” that countries across the world eradicated the practice. But as the US president continues to face questions over his controversial focus on tariffs, and the threat of higher prices, leading Democrats accused his administration of using forced labor to prop up their strategy. “Today’s forced labor justification is too convenient to be taken seriously,” said Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the US House ways and means committee. “Forced labor is a real and pervasive problem in our supply chains and demands serious enforcement. It should never be cheapened into a pretext for a tariff policy built on dubious legal theories and personal grievances.’’ Trump’s trade strategy suffered a damaging blow in February when the US supreme court ruled 6-3 that many of his tariffs had been imposed illegally. His officials immediately announced another 10% tariff regime under another trade law that had never been used before, although these duties could only be imposed for up to 150 days – and expired after midnight EST on Friday. This latest wave of tariffs is designed to replace the 10% regime. Linda Sánchez, a California Democratic representative, denounced the administration’s justification for the new tariffs, writing on social media that Trump had gutted funding to combat forced labor at the Bureau of International Labor Affairs and roll