On July 9, 2026, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation, pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, ordering the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to continue negotiating agreements with trading partners to address the threatened impairment of national security as to imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines, and their associated parts from any country.
The proclamation and the findings issued by the Secretary of Commerce arise from a May 2025 Section 232 investigation initiated to determine the effects on the national security of imports of these products into the United States. See SmarTrade Update of May 12, 2025 for additional background. The findings found that “commercial aircraft, jet engines, and their associated parts are essential to the national security and economy of the United States. Such products and their related industries provide critical functions for a variety of key sectors of the United States, including defense, cargo, transportation, and tourism. The United States commercial aircraft manufacturing and industrial base not only supports national defense requirements but also is an important driver of United States economic activity and well-paying American jobs.” The Secretary determined that the U.S. aircraft industry is facing challenges to adequately meet economic and national security demands and that imports and competition continue to harm the U.S. industry, hindering “incentives for United States producers to invest in developing and expanding manufacturing capacity, production, and their workforce, at a time in which they are already facing challenges to meet economic and national security demands.”
In this Section 232 investigation, the Commerce Secretary recommended that no immediate tariffs be imposed. Instead, and as the proclamation sets forth, President Trump is directing further discussions and negotiations with foreign countries and jurisdictions to address the threatened impairment to the national security posed by these imports. Accordingly, the following actions are to be taken:
- Continue pursuing negotiations of agreements to address the threatened impairment of the national security as to imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines, and their associated parts.
- Continue to monitor imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines, and their associated parts.
- Update the President on the status or outcome of any negotiations of any circumstances that might indicate the need for further action under this Section 232 determination.
For these continuing negotiations, the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative are to inform the President on the progress of such negotiations within 180 days and, “[d]epending on the status or outcome of such negotiations, [President Trump] may consider alternative remedies in the future.”