News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times (June 6, 2026 - June 12, 2026) June 12, 2026 6 US Affairs US Proposes Fresh Tariffs On 60 Countries Including India Over Export Of Goods Made With Forced Labor T he United States on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, announced a fresh slew of additional tariffs of 10 per cent and an additional duty of 12.5 per cent on key global economies, claiming that investiga- tions have revealed goods being imported from 60 countries are produced via forced labor. India is among those countries. The USTR listed 54 economies which it claimed have failed to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour. The list includes countries such as Australia, China, India, Israel, Japan, Qatar, and Russia. Other countries listed included Saudi Arabia, Singa- pore, South Korea, Sri Lanka; Switzerland, Taiwan, Thai- land, Turkiye UAE, the United Kingdom. The details were shared by the US Office of Trade Rep- resentative in a press statement. According to the USTR, economies that already have some form of forced labor import prohibition, or have committed to implement- ing such measures through trade agreements, could face an additional tariff of 10 per cent. Other economies may face a12.5 per cent additional duty. The proposed action also includes a textile mecha- nism that would allow a certain volume of apparel and textile imports from some economies to enter the US at a reduced Section 301 tariff rate. As per the USTR, the action comes under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 which allows measures to be taken over 60 economies over their acts, policies and practices related to the failure to what it called impose and prohibit goods produced with forced labor–calling it unreasonable and a burden on US commerce. As a result of these investigations, the USTR proposed additional duties on all products of the investigated economies, and invited public comments on the move. “For economies that impose a forced labor import prohibition, that have committed to impose and enforce such a prohibition through an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, or economies that have imposed a partial regime with the effect of preventing the importation of certain forced labor goods, the U.S. Trade Representative pro- poses 10% as the rate of additional duties. For all other economies, the U.S. Trade Representative proposes 12.5% as the rate of additional duty. The U.S. Trade Representa- tive also proposes a textile mechanism that would allow for a certain volume of apparel and textile imports from certain economies to enter the United States at a reduced Section 301 tariff rate”, the statement said. The USTR flagged 6 economies for having failed to effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour. These include the European Union, Pakistan and Canada. “The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field,” said Ambassador Jamieson Greer. The fresh salvo of proposed tariffs comes at a time when Indian negotiators are set to focus on securing pref- erential market access against competitors during talks with the visiting US team to finalise the bilateral trade agreement (BTA), sources said on Monday. The sources told ANI that trade relief from US Section 301 investigations will also be on the top of the agenda with US trade team. The talks, scheduled June 1-4, are led by US Chief Ne- gotiator Brendan Lynch and India’s Additional Secretary Darpan Jain. According to the Ministry of Commerce, the round will finalize details of the interim pact and advance negotiations under the broader BTA on market access, non-tariff measures, customs and trade facilitation, in- vestment promotion and economic security alignment. - ANI USTR Jamieson Greer. C ongressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, led a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner seeking answers about whether the United States Postal Service (USPS) has faced pressure from the Trump Administration to restrict or interfere with mail-in ballot delivery ahead of the 2026 elections, as well as USPS’s June 2, 2026 publication of a proposed rule (91 FR 32915) that would impose new federal requirements on mail-in voting. In the letter sent out June 3, 2026, Krishnamoorthi raised concerns alleging President Trump had repeatedly attacked mail-in voting, and cited recent Department of Justice’s alleged efforts to target election materials, and executive actions that could involve USPS in limiting ballot delivery or imposing new requirements affecting absentee and mail ballots. “Free, fair, and secure elections are the foundation of our democracy,” Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is quoted saying in the press release. “The United States Postal Service must remain an independent and reli- able institution that delivers election mail securely and on time, free from political interference. Americans deserve confidence that no administration will ma- nipulate access to the ballot box or undermine lawful voting.” In the letter which was signed only by Democrats, Krishnamoorthi requested responses to a series of ques- tions regarding USPS’s communications with the Trump Administration and any efforts to involve the Postal Service in election administration. The lawmakers requested responses no later than June 23, 2026, along with all responsive documents and com- munications. The letter was also signed by Reps. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08), Dan Goldman (D-NY-10), Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL-01), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Adam Smith (D-WA-09), Chellie Pin- gree (D-ME-01), Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Johnny Olszewski, Jr. (D-MD-02), Betty McCol- lum (D-MN-04), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02), Emily Randall (D-WA-06), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA-01), Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), Val Hoyle (D-OR-04), Joe Courtney (D-CT-02), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Suhas Subraman- yam (D-VA-10), April McClain Delaney (D-MD-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05), James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA-11), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04), Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17), André Carson (D-IN-07), andWes- ley Bell (D-MO-01). The letter can be found here. (https://krishnamoor- thi.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/krishnamoorthi-evo. house.gov/files/evo-media-document/letter-to-post- master-general-on-mail-in-voting_0.pdf) By a StaffWriter Rep. Krishnamoorthi Demands Answers From USPS On Potential Political Interference In Mail-In Voting PHOTO:USTR.GOV Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois. PHOTO:FACEBOOK