U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer announced on July. 15 that his office, at the direction of President Donald Trump, is launching a Section 301 investigation, as described in the USTR’s press release seeking “to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of Brazil related to digital trade and electronic payment services; unfair, preferential tariffs; anti-corruption interference; intellectual property protection; ethanol market access; and illegal deforestation are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce.”
To be scrutinized, according to Greer, are Brazil’s attacks on American social media companies “as well as other unfair trading practices that harm American companies, workers, farmers, and technology innovators.” He argued that Brazil’s tariff and non-tariff barriers merit a careful investigation, which could result in “potentially responsive action.”
