Greer consolidates trade power as 301 tariffs replace voided levies

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has consolidated control over President Donald Trump's trade agenda, leading negotiations with India, the USMCA renegotiation and the rebuilding of tariffs under Section 301 after the Supreme Court voided most levies in February.

"Ambassador Greer and I work together very closely and constructively to execute the President's trade agenda," Greer said in a statement, though Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican on the Finance Committee, said the shift has resolved "a measure of confusion surrounding who exactly was steering the trade portfolio."

The transition marks a reversal from early 2025, when Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had direct oversight of Greer's office and insisted on presiding over meetings with foreign officials. Greer this month traveled to India alone to meet Trade Minister Piyush Goyal, a trip Lutnick would have led months earlier. The new tariff regime, set to be imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, replaces the Liberation Day duties that the Supreme Court ruled illegal in February.

The stakes extend beyond personnel. Greer is overseeing the summer renegotiation of the USMCA, the establishment of a U.S.-China Board of Trade, and Section 301 investigations that propose tariffs of 12.5% on Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines and 10% on Malaysia and Cambodia. Trade lawyers said the new levies are likely to withstand legal scrutiny, with Wiley Rein partner Tim Brightbill noting the Trade Act does not require "mathematical precision."

The consolidation of authority under Greer, a stern lawyerly Mormon who served as chief of staff to former USTR Robert Lighthizer, provides a clearer point of contact for trading partners who struggled with mixed signals. Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said he was stunned when Lutnick opened their first bilateral meeting by accusing Mexico's government of being controlled by drug cartels, questioning "why do you want to talk to us if that's your point of view?" Greer, by contrast, has acknowledged Mexico's strategic role in North American supply chains while insisting tariffs are non-negotiable in the USMCA renegotiation.

Section 301 Becomes the Legal Backstop

The shift to Section 301 authority represents a strategic recalibration. The original Liberation Day tariffs relied on a novel interpretation of presidential executive authority that the Supreme Court rejected in a February ruling. The new investigations, launched in March 2026, are framed around forced labor but function as an extension of trade negotiations, according to the June investigation report. Countries that accepted Washington's trade conditions — such as Malaysia, which committed to introducing an import prohibition system within two years of its 2025 reciprocal trade agreement — face lower rates than those still at the framework stage.

Jake Colvin, head of the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents large trade-reliant companies, said the administration is "using these really important issues as a pretext for rebuilding their tariff wall." The previous escalation of tariffs on Chinese goods reduced bilateral trade by tens of billions of dollars over subsequent months, according to Census Bureau data, setting a precedent for the economic impact of the current round.

What Comes Next

Greer now faces a packed calendar. The USMCA renegotiation must conclude this summer, with Mexico expected to accept higher tariffs on its goods as part of any deal. The U.S.-China Board of Trade, a new mechanism for managing commerce between the world's two largest economies, requires establishing protocols from scratch. And the Section 301 tariff proposals must be finalized, with affected Southeast Asian nations studying the agreements Indonesia and Malaysia reached to identify what Washington actually wants.

For markets, the key question is whether Greer's technocratic approach reduces the policy whiplash that defined early 2025. His methodical style and legal grounding in trade law suggest a more predictable tariff environment — even if the ultimate level of protection remains high.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.