WASHINGTON, D.C., February 21 — Jamieson Greer said Friday that U.S. trade agreements covering more than half of the world’s population remain fully in force despite the recent Supreme Court ruling limiting the administration’s tariff authority, emphasizing that alternative legal tools remain available to enforce trade policy.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News and later posting on X, Greer stated, “Our trade deals covering over half of the world’s population remain in full effect.”
Greer said the agreements have expanded market access for U.S. goods and services and expressed confidence that partner nations would continue to honor their commitments.
“It helped us obtain tons of deals covering half of the world’s population and opening up market access we haven’t enjoyed for 30 years,” Greer said. “We have these agreements, so we’ll just use a different tool. The tools may change, but the policy remains the same, and IEEPA was a part of that.”
Greer outlined several legal mechanisms the administration may use to impose tariffs, including Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits temporary tariffs of up to 10% to address balance-of-payments concerns.
“Simultaneously, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will initiate a number of investigations under Section 301 into unfair trading practices by a number of different countries to assess whether tariffs can be imposed on that basis if necessary,” Greer said. He added that national security tariffs on automobiles, steel, and aluminum imposed under Section 232 also remain in place.
When asked about existing agreements, Greer reiterated that they would remain intact. “Those agreements hold. They remain. We will honor them, and we expect our trading partners to honor them,” he said.
His remarks follow an executive order signed by President Donald Trump imposing a 10% global tariff on imports, effective immediately, after a major legal setback at the US Supreme Court.
The court ruled 6–3 that the administration exceeded its authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 by imposing sweeping tariffs without congressional approval.
Trump criticized the decision, calling it a “terrible ruling,” and announced he would invoke Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose new tariffs under alternative legal authority.
“Effective immediately, all national security tariffs under Section 232 and existing Section 301 tariffs remain in place,” Trump said. “Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff under Section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged.”
Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, and the court’s three liberal justices, ruled that the emergency powers law does not authorize the president to impose tariffs, a power constitutionally assigned to Congress.
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented, supporting a broader interpretation of executive emergency authority.
The ruling invalidated billions of dollars in tariffs and could require the federal government to refund an estimated $130 billion to $175 billion in collected revenue. Trump said his administration would pursue alternative measures to maintain tariffs and continue its broader trade agenda, while criticizing the court’s decision as harmful to U.S. economic interests.
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