Public Citizen Expert to Testify at Today’s “Section 301” Hearing on Brazil’s Efforts to Counter Big Tech’s Power
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Public Citizen Global Trade Watch Director Melinda St. Louis will testify in a hearing before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) regarding the proposed action on the Brazil 301 Investigation.
St. Louis will argue that no punitive tariffs should be imposed because Brazil’s social media and digital payments policies do not violate Section 301, as they serve legitimate public interests, apply equally to domestic and foreign companies, and do not discriminate against U.S. firms. She will also raise concerns that the timing of the investigation and its findings related to Brazil’s digital regulations and medicines policies are an attempt to reconstruct President Trump’s politically motivated tariff wall against the country.
Today is the first day of the two-day hearing, and St. Louis will testify during the second to last panel of the day. The hearing will take place in the main hearing room of the U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, D.C., 20436. St. Louis is available for interviews before or after her testimony. To schedule time to talk, contact Omar Baddar at obaddar@citizen.org.
RESOURCES:
- Testimony for Delivery, July 6, 2026 Hearing on Proposed Action of Brazil 301 Investigation
- Public Citizen’s Comment Submission for Proposed Action of Brazil 301 Investigation, June 30, 2026
- Written Testimony for Sept. 3, 2025, Hearing on Brazil 301 Investigation
- Comment Submission in Collaboration With Data Privacy Brazil, Aug.18, 2025
- “Trump’s Bizarre, Authoritarian, Big, Tech-Friendly Tariffs on Brazil” in Common Dreams, July 11, 2025
- “Trump’s Emergency Declaration on Brazil Is a Shameless Power Grab,” Public Citizen Statement from July 30, 2025