Trump Invokes a Dormant 1930 Law to Hit Canada With 50% Tariffs on Autos, Alcohol and Dairy

• ▸President Trump used Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 — a Depression-era authority never before invoked to impose tariffs — to place an additional 50% duty on Canadian motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages and dairy products on July 20, 2026, covering close to $20 billion in imports.
• ▸U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer's office said the action responds to Canada removing U.S. alcohol from store shelves, giving European Union dairy exporters better access to the Canadian market than U.S. suppliers, and capping U.S. vehicle exports to Canada from companies reshoring production to America.
• ▸The new duties take effect 30 days after the proclamations, on August 19, 2026 — the same week Washington's separate Section 122 global tariff expired and new Section 301 tariffs on 60 economies over forced-labor enforcement took hold.