*By Christian Smith* Pressure continues to mount on President Donald Trump to walk back his tariff policy, with Russia becoming the seventh World Trade Organization member to officially challenge the White House's duties on steel and aluminum. And while the organization will take up these cases, Politico trade reporter Megan Cassella said the process will likely take a long time to play out. "The WTO doesn't tend to do anything quickly," Cassella said in an interview on Cheddar Tuesday. Even if the WTO, an intergovernmental agency that overseas international trade, does eventually come to a conclusion, the U.S. could still avoid any repercussions. "Given the Trump administration's sort of disdain for the WTO and its legal rulings, it's also possible that, even if they do eventually come to a conclusion, Trump might just say, 'Well you know, that's it then, that's the end of the U.S. membership in the WTO'," Cassella noted. Russia's appeal filed last week cites "numerous violations of WTO rules by the United States in introducing this measure," said Russian Economic Development Minister Maksim Oreshkin in a [statement](https://www.rt.com/business/431256-russia-tariffs-us-good/). The 25 percent tax on foreign steel and 10 percent tax on foreign aluminum took effect June 1. The Trump administration justified the tariffs using the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, which grants the president the power to restrict imports to protect national security. But not everyone is buying into the White House's rationale. China, India, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Norway, and now Russia have all filed complaints with the WTO. For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/russia-challenges-trumps-tariffs-in-wto)

Share:
More In Politics
US Defends Decision to Shoot Down 3 Unidentified Objects
The White House defended the shootdowns of three unidentified objects in as many days even as it acknowledged that officials had no indication the objects were intended for surveillance in the same manner as the high-altitude Chinese balloon that traversed American airspace earlier this month.
Need2Know: February 13, 2023
Another unidentified object was shot down over the weekend, contractors arrested in Turkey after buildings crumbled in earthquake, and arrests in Baton Rouge shooting that injured 12. Here is everything you Need2Know for Monday, February 13, 2023.
Load More