U.S. to Impose 25% Tariff on Certain Goods From Brazil — Update

By Jihye Lee and Fabiana Negrin Ochoa

The U.S. is imposing a 25% tariff on certain Brazilian goods, following a yearlong investigation by trade officials into what they described as unfair trade practices.

The measure, which exclude Brazilian beef and coffee, was announced by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative late Wednesday.

"Brazil's unfair trading practices have prevented U.S. workers and producers from accessing this important market with over 210 million consumers," U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement.

The move is being carried out under Section 301 of the Trade Act, which allows a president to impose duties as long as his administration can point to unfair trade practices.

In a post on X, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Trump directed the USTR to impose a 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports.

"Let there be no confusion about why: President Lula and his government have not negotiated with the U.S. in good faith," Rubio wrote, adding: "His economic policies are bad for Americans and bad for Brazilians."

Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil last year, but the Supreme Court later struck it down. Tariffs on Brazilian imports that aren't exempt currently stand at 10%.

In a statement posted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on X, Brazil's government said it rejected the tariffs and would invoke its economic reciprocity law in response.

July 15, 2026 will go down as a "lamentable milestone" in the history of Brazil-U.S. relations, the statement said.

Brazil said it had engaged with the USTR to end the Section 301 investigations and provided evidence against unfair trade claims.

"There is no justification for unilateral measures against our country," it said.

Write to Jihye Lee at jihye.lee@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 16, 2026 00:35 ET (04:35 GMT)