'Illegal and harmful': Three US lawmakers bring resolution to end Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on India
The resolution aims to roll back the additional 25 per cent secondary duties imposed on India on August 27, 2025, in addition to earlier reciprocal tariffs.
Three members of the US House of Representatives on Friday introduced a resolution seeking to end President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration that imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on imports from India, describing the measures as illegal and harmful to American workers, consumers and bilateral relations.
The resolution, led by Representatives Deborah Ross, Marc Veasey and Raja Krishnamoorthi, follows a bipartisan Senate move to terminate similar tariffs on Brazil and restrict the President’s use of emergency powers to raise import duties.
According to the release, the resolution aims to roll back the additional 25 per cent secondary duties imposed on India on August 27, 2025, in addition to earlier reciprocal tariffs. Together, these measures raised duties on many Indian origin products to 50 per cent under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
"North Carolina's economy is deeply connected to India through trade, investment, and a vibrant Indian American community," said Congresswoman Ross, noting that Indian companies have invested over a billion dollars in the state, creating thousands of jobs in sectors such as life sciences and technology, while North Carolina manufacturers export hundreds of millions of dollars in goods to India each year.
"India is an important cultural, economic, and strategic partner, and these illegal tariffs are a tax on everyday North Texans who are already struggling with rising costs," Congressman Veasey said.
Indian American Congressman Krishnamoorthi said the tariffs were "counterproductive, disrupt supply chains, harm American workers, and drive up costs for consumers," adding that ending them would strengthen US-India economic and security cooperation.
"Instead of advancing American interests or security, these duties disrupt supply chains, harm American workers, and drive up costs for consumers. Ending these damaging tariffs will allow the United States to engage with India to advance our shared economic and security needs," Krishnamoorthi added.
The resolution forms part of a wider effort by congressional Democrats to challenge Trump’s unilateral trade actions and recalibrate US relations with India.
Earlier in October, Ross, Veasey and Krishnamoorthi, along with Congressman Ro Khanna and 19 other lawmakers, urged the President to reverse his tariff policies and repair strained ties with India.
"Ending Trump's India tariffs is part of a broader effort by congressional Democrats to reclaim Congress' constitutional authority over trade and to stop the President from using emergency powers to unilaterally impose his misguided trade policies," the release said.
In August, Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods from August 1, followed by a further 25 per cent increase days later, citing India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. This took the total levy to 50 per cent, with Trump claiming the imports fuel Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.