Scope: Federal
Branch: Executive
Severity: Amber
Date occurred: February 13, 2025
A presidential memorandum titled 'Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs' was signed February 13, 2025 and published February 19, 2025. It directs executive agencies to develop a plan for imposing tariffs matching those applied to United States exports by trading partners, identifying statutory authorities to be used.
Constitutional basis: Executive directs tariff-setting plan under delegated trade statutes, implicating Congress's Article I taxation and foreign-commerce powers; scope of delegation untested.