After the tariff ruling, Washington's 150-day clock is running on India's trade

Two weeks after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the tariff question in Washington has not gone away. It has changed shape. The emergency instrument is gone; what remains is a narrower statutory authority with a hard expiry date and a lower ceiling.

Under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, the president may impose a temporary global tariff of up to 15% without the ordinary process, for a maximum of 150 days. It is a bridge, not a policy. Once those days are used, Congress has to decide what comes next, and the administration has to defend the replacement on the record.

Where India stands

• A law firm analysis records that the additional 25% duty applied to Indian goods from August 6, 2025 until February 7, 2026, and that the measure has now been rescinded.
• Duties already collected under a later-invalidated instrument are the subject of refund claims, with the mechanics still to be worked out.
• A Congressional Research Service note published on February 23 sets out the legal mechanics of the ruling and the replacement authority.

That is the part with a direct line to an Indian balance sheet. Exporters who priced contracts against the 25% rate are now negotiating against a different number, and importers who paid the duty at the border are looking for the same rupees back.

The United States Trade Representative published its 2026 trade policy agenda on March 2, one day before this article was compiled. The release is the administration's own statement of intent; it does not settle the refund question, and it does not extend Section 122.