China fentanyl tariffs (IEEPA)

On February 1, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14195 imposing an additional tariff on Chinese imports under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), citing the flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals. The rate started at 10% on top of existing Section 301 duties, was raised to 20%, and was later cut back to 10% effective November 10, 2025, as part of a U.S.-China deal in which China tightened controls on fentanyl precursors.

That rate-chasing obscures the bigger story: the legal authority. Like the Liberation Day reciprocal tariffs, this levy rested on IEEPA — a statute the Supreme Court held on February 20, 2026 does not authorize the President to impose tariffs (Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump). Within days, CBP stopped collecting all IEEPA-based China duties.

So this entry is tagged struck-down, not in-effect. The fentanyl policy goal did not disappear with the ruling, but the IEEPA tariff that was its main economic instrument did.

Status as of July 2026; verify before relying on this for decisions. The administration attempted to keep broad tariffs alive by switching to Section 122 (see that entry), and has signaled it may pursue new Section 301 investigations as a more durable path for China-related tariffs going forward.

Directly: U.S. importers of Chinese goods, while the tariff was in force (Feb 2025 – Feb 2026)

Ultimately: U.S. consumers and manufacturers relying on Chinese inputs

Layered on top of the pre-existing 25% Section 301 duties, so effective rates on many Chinese goods were very high during 2025.