U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Trump administration is levying tariffs on 60 economies, tying the action to forced labor enforcement inaction in Donald Trump North American trade. He made the case on Special Report, saying the policy is aimed at imports linked to forced labor and at countries that permit it.
Greer said, “The US is the only country in the world who enforces this law.” He said the tariffs are meant to ensure fair competition for U.S. workers and companies, placing the enforcement dispute at the center of the trade action.
Greer on Special Report
Greer outlined the recent tariff action as a broad move rather than a one-country dispute. He said the Trump administration is targeting 60 economies globally, which gives the policy a wider reach than a bilateral trade step.
The tariffs, as Greer described them, apply to countries that either allow forced labor or import goods made with forced labor from nations like China. That leaves the policy tied to the treatment of goods at the border, where imported products can face new costs if they are linked to labor violations.
China and forced labor goods
Greer’s explanation centered on enforcement rather than rhetoric. He tied the tariffs to century-old laws against forced labor and said the United States is the only country in the world that enforces this law, while the tariff action reaches 60 economies at once.
For companies moving goods into the United States, the practical issue is whether supply chains touch products made with forced labor. For workers, Greer framed the action as a way to keep competition fair when foreign producers can reach the market under different labor rules.
60 economies, one rule
The scale matters because Greer said the same enforcement logic now applies across 60 countries and 60 economies. That leaves the immediate question on the table: which countries are included in the 60 economies and which goods fall under the tariffs.
Until those details are laid out, the practical reading is simple. The Trump administration has moved from describing forced labor enforcement as a trade issue to using tariffs as the tool, and Greer has made the case that the US intends to apply that rule broadly.
