Brazil To Challenge U.S. 25% Tariffs At WTO, Accuses Ex-President Bolsonaro’s Family Of Collaboration With Washington
Brazil To Challenge U.S. 25% Tariffs At WTO, Accuses Ex-President Bolsonaro’s Family Of Collaboration With Washington
The government said it “repudiates the decision announced today by the U.S. government regarding the imposition of 25% tariffs on Brazilian products, based on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.”
The Brazilian government has condemned the United States’ decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Brazilian exports, describing the measure as unjustified, illegal and politically motivated.
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It accused the family of former President Jair Bolsonaro of collaborating with Washington against Brazil.
In a statement released on Thursday through the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic and shared by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his official X account, the Brazilian government said the U.S. decision marked “a lamentable milestone” in bilateral relations between the two countries.
“July 15, 2026, will go down in the history of relations between Brazil and the United States as a lamentable milestone,” the statement said.
The government said it “repudiates the decision announced today by the U.S. government regarding the imposition of 25% tariffs on Brazilian products, based on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.”
According to President Lula’s administration, there was “no justification for unilateral measures” against Brazil, arguing that trade data from the U.S. itself contradicts Washington’s position.
“According to statistics from the U.S. government itself, the United States has accumulated a surplus of $424.5 billion in goods and services with Brazil over the past 15 years,” the statement said.
The Brazilian government also noted that American exports already enjoy significant access to the Brazilian market.
“In 2025, 76% of imports originating from the United States entered the country without paying import duties, and the average effective rate applied to U.S. products was only 3.1%,” it added.
Lula’s government rejected the legitimacy of the U.S. investigation conducted under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, insisting that such actions violate international trade rules.
“Brazil does not recognize the legitimacy of investigations without support in the multilateral rules of trade. Despite this, we have never left the negotiating table to defend national interests,” the statement read.
According to the government, Brazilian officials had spent the past year engaging with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in an effort to prevent the sanctions.
“Over the past year, the Brazilian government has acted tirelessly with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to end the investigations based on Section 301, presenting evidence that refutes each of the allegations regarding alleged unfair trade practices adopted by Brazil,” he said.
The statement specifically dismissed U.S. allegations relating to Brazil’s instant payment system, PIX, digital platform regulation and environmental policies.
“We have demonstrated that the allegations against PIX and the regulation of digital platforms are unfounded, and the accusations regarding deforestation are absurd,” the government said.
Defending Brazil’s digital payment system, Lula’s administration described PIX as a national achievement.
The government also defended its internet regulations.
“In Brazil, we will not abdicate from protecting our families and our children against the greed of a handful of techno-oligarchs. Freedom of expression is not a blank check for criminality,” he said.
On environmental concerns, the administration insisted it had made significant progress in reducing illegal deforestation.
“The entire world knows that, starting in 2023, we have combated environmental illicit activities incisively and drastically reduced deforestation across all Brazilian biomes,” he said.
The Brazilian government said the overwhelming majority of businesses that participated in public hearings organised by the USTR opposed the proposed tariffs.
“In the public hearings promoted by the USTR last week, 63 of the 78 interventions made by representatives of the Brazilian and U.S. private sectors were against the tariff hike,” he said.
Despite the U.S. action, the government said it would continue expanding trade relationships with other regions.
“We will continue to diversify trade partnerships and open new markets for our products, as we have done by signing MERCOSUR agreements with the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and Singapore,” the statement said.
Lula’s administration also announced plans to cushion the impact of the tariffs on Brazilian businesses and workers through what it described as the Sovereign Brazil Plan.
The government said it would immediately invoke Brazil’s Reciprocity Law and challenge the tariffs before the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The move signals Brazil’s intention to pursue both domestic and international legal measures against the United States over the trade dispute.
In one of the strongest political attacks contained in the statement, Lula’s government accused the family of former President Bolsonaro of helping engineer the U.S. action against Brazil for political gain.
“It is sad to note that the lamentable outcome of the investigations based on Section 301 is part of the plot built with the active collaboration of the Bolsonaro family,” the statement alleged.
“They are false patriots who orchestrated and publicly defended actions against our country, driven by electoral objectives.”
The government argued that patriotism should transcend political rivalry.
“One cannot love Brazil only when we win elections. Protecting our sovereignty is an obligation that stands above all parties and all trends,” the statement said.
“The Brazilian government will not falter in its duty to preserve it.”
