The Trump administration said Wednesday it will reconstruct its trade system with “very durable” duties that penalize nations for unfair practices, one day after President Trump told Congress that import levies would remain front and center in his midterm-year economic agenda.
Mr. Trump said in his State of the Union address that lawmakers’ input on tariffs “would not be necessary” as he deploys a grab bag of executive authorities to backfill tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court last week.
His decision to forge ahead drew a rebuke Wednesday from China, which said it would not hesitate to retaliate.
“China reserves the right to take all necessary steps to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” the Commerce Ministry in Beijing said.
Mr. Trump is recalibrating his trade agenda after the justices ruled that he usurped Congress’ taxing power by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose nation-by-nation levies.
Mr. Trump doubled down on tariffs during a lengthy speech to Congress that promised an economic turnaround while leaning heavily on his immigration crackdown and the country’s 250th birthday.
SEE ALSO: Beijing warns Trump not to impose new tariffs, says it will respond ‘firmly’
The president’s first major trip after his State of the Union address will be to Corpus Christi, Texas, on Friday, days before a hotly contested Senate Republican primary election among Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
The president has not endorsed anyone in the race. Still, he has been weighing in on midterm politics while touting his economic plans. His pitch includes tax boons for Americans in the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act and foreign investments that should survive his legal defeat on tariffs.
“While some suspected that he would directly engage with the justices directly, Trump instead signaled his plans to use other means to achieve his economic agenda,” said Cayce Myers, a professor of public relations at Virginia Tech. “Overall, the 2026 State of the Union was less charged than President Trump’s 2025 address to Congress, but it was perhaps one of his most significant because he needs to reshape the narrative around his second term in light of the consequential midterm elections.”
Tariffs are duties on foreign goods brought into U.S. markets. The importer of record, often an American entity, pays the money to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Democrats say American businesses and consumers cannot absorb the costs of tariffs, so Mr. Trump should reverse course.
“When President Trump took office, he promised to bring down costs. Instead, he continues to double down on his reckless and illegal tariffs that have pushed prices even higher,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Democrat, said after Mr. Trump’s speech.
Before the Supreme Court ruling, Mr. Trump used IEEPA tariffs as his primary tool of economic leverage. He could threaten tariffs of any amount at a moment’s notice so that foreign officials, fearful of losing access to the rich U.S. market, would make concessions.
Other countries committed multibillion-dollar foreign investments in U.S. manufacturing in exchange for lower tariff rates.
The Supreme Court ruling canceled that power, but Mr. Trump insists he has plenty of tariff weapons left in his arsenal.
“They’re a little more complex, but they’re actually probably better. Leading to a solution that will be even stronger than before,” Mr. Trump said in his speech.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began filling in the details of that plan Wednesday. He said the loss at the Supreme Court would not prevent the administration from “reconstructing” the tariffs and keeping foreign deals in place.
Mr. Greer said the U.S. has identified numerous violations under Section 301, including the use of forced labor and industrial overcapacity that floods other nations with excess goods.
“If these things aren’t resolved by our partner countries, then we can impose a tariff,” Mr. Greer told Fox Business’ “Mornings With Maria.” “It’s a very detailed, public process that allows [Mr. Trump] to put in place very durable tariffs under existing law.”
The president recently issued a 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. He is working to raise that rate to 15%.
The authority is valid for 150 days unless renewed by Congress.
“Right now, we have the 10% tariff. It’ll go up to 15[%] for some, and then it may go higher for others, and I think it will be in line with the types of tariffs we’ve been seeing,” Mr. Greer said.
The administration also is conducting investigations to issue permanent tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which authorizes the president to impose duties or quotas on imports deemed national security threats.
Mr. Greer downplayed concerns that countries would face even higher tariffs under the new system. He said that would happen only if partners walked back their promises or engaged in unfair practices.
An analysis by Global Trade Alert found China stands to benefit from the new framework, reducing its tariff burden by roughly 7 percentage points.
However, many Chinese goods still face multiple stacked tariffs under various authorities that reach double digits.
China has been willing to play hardball over Mr. Trump’s tariffs. Last year, it withheld its vast supply of rare earth elements to negotiate concessions from the U.S.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to travel to China from March 31 to April 2 for high-stakes meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping that will likely focus on trade and Beijing’s approach to Taiwan.
In the U.S., companies are digesting the new tariff policies while demanding repayment for the IEEPA tariffs that were deemed illegal.
FedEx, the major parcel carrier, sued for refunds, joining companies such as Costco that filed lawsuits before the ruling.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, estimated that tariffs cost New Yorkers $13.5 billion.
“Trump’s illegal tariffs are a backdoor tax on New Yorkers,” Ms. Hochul wrote on social media. “The administration should pay every dollar back.”
• Lindsey McPherson contributed to this report.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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