US sets 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods under Section 301

American consumers and Brazilian exporters face higher costs starting July 22 as the United States applies 25 percent tariffs to most imports from Brazil. The duties follow a year-long investigation that identified barriers to US technology firms, ethanol, and intellectual property protection.

The Office of the US Trade Representative acted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 after concluding that Brazilian measures, including orders directing platforms such as X, Meta, and Google to remove political content and weak enforcement against illegal deforestation, unreasonably restrict American commerce. Exemptions cover coffee, beef, orange juice, aircraft parts, and certain energy products to limit supply-chain disruption. US goods trade with Brazil recorded a $14.4 billion surplus last year.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rejected the tariffs as unjustified and announced plans to invoke the Reciprocity Law and file at the World Trade Organization. He cited a cumulative US goods-and-services surplus of $424.5 billion over 15 years. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated that negotiations had failed to resolve the issues but left the door open for further talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Lula’s government had not negotiated in good faith.

The decision arrives weeks before Brazil’s October presidential election and follows a February Supreme Court ruling that struck down earlier tariffs imposed under different legal authority. A separate US probe into forced-labor enforcement could add another 12.5 percent duty next week.