Trump to Keep Tariff Probes Running Through Government Shutdown

The Trump administration will carry ahead with investigations into certain imports during a possible government shutdown, allowing them to move forward on laying the groundwork for further tariffs.

The Commerce Department in a shutdown contingency plan released Monday said it will continue “the necessary work to address the effect of imported articles on national security.” The contingency guidelines mark a subtle shift from the previous plan, which said investigations would continue with unexpired funds if Congress failed to approve additional spending by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

By claiming a national security rationale for the investigations, ...