Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Sugarloaf Mountain and Botafogo Beach in the background.
Jeremy Walker | Stone | Getty Images
The Office of the United States Trade Representative has proposed 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods under Section 301, determining that the South American nation had engaged in practices that “are unreasonable and burden or restrict U.S. commerce.”
Some of these practices also include anti-corruption enforcement, intellectual property protection, ethanol market access, and illegal deforestation, according to the release from the U.S. Trade Representative.
U.S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that the investigation under Section 301 was launched at the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump.
While Trump has had “several constructive meetings” with Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the two sides continue to have substantial differences in resolving the issues identified in this investigation, Greer said.
The USTR will hold a hearing about the proposed action on July 6.
Section 301 is designed to address unfair foreign practices affecting U.S. commerce, and allows the U.S. president to impose tariffs if an investigation finds that the acts are unreasonable or discriminatory.
Back in July 2025, Brazil was hit with 50% tariff by Trump, partly in retaliation for the ongoing prosecution of the country’s former President Jair Bolsonaro.
However, those duties were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in February, leaving Washington able to only impose a 10% global tariff on exports to the U.S.
