US customs rolls out new 10% tariff, lower than Trump's promised 15%
Modi should scrap 'anti-farmer' Indo-US deal approved under pressure: Rahul; 'the agreement an arrow in the heart of farmers; I challenge PM to scrap it if he has courage, but he won't be able to do so'
Texas: The United States Customs and Border Protection has rolled out the 10 per cent tariff duties imposed on all imports which are not covered by exemptions.
After the US Supreme Court's ruling deemed earlier tariffs imposed by Trump using emergency powers as “illegal”, the President had announced 10 per cent additional tariffs on imports from all countries on Friday. The next day, Trump decided to increase this to 15 per cent.
A US Customs notice, which is described as intended to “provide guidance regarding the February 20, 2026 Presidential Proclamation”, said imports would be subject to “an additional ad valorem rate of 10%”, Reuters reported.
A White House official, quoted by The Financial Times, has said the increase to 15 per cent will come later. This has, however, not been officially confirmed. The collection of the new tariffs began at midnight, while the earlier tariffs were annulled.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Indo-US interim trade deal was sealed under pressure and dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to scrap the "anti-farmer" agreement, following the US Supreme Court ruling. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha described the agreement as "an arrow in the heart of farmers". "After the US Supreme Court ruling on the trade deal (global tariffs), I challenge PM Modi to scrap it if he has courage...but he won't be able to do so," said the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister approved the agreement under external pressure linked to the threat of releasing "Epstein files" and an ongoing criminal case involving industrialist Gautam Adani in the US. "Narendra Modi is compromised. He has been trapped. He has signed this agreement under pressure. This is not a deal, it is an arrow in the heart of the farmer," Gandhi said, claiming that the pact had been stalled for months before being cleared suddenly.
He questioned that the India-US trade agreement had been stalled for four months, but what happened that made Prime Minister Modi suddenly agree to it? "There are two reasons for this. The first reason is the lakhs of Epstein files lying in America.
