The reversal of an order banning Chinese products from de minimis startled importers and members of the Senate Finance Committee, who were puzzling about how long it would be until the policy flipped again, and why the Commerce Department, which has never had involvement in de minimis before, has been put in charge of deciding when to implement the order.
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The White House published the annex listing aluminum derivatives that will face additional Section 232 tariffs of 25%, as well as the annex with the steel derivatives that will face 25% tariffs (except derivatives from Turkey, which will see 50% tariffs. Turkey's exports of the original steel products covered by Section 232 are not subject to 50% tariffs, however.)
The fact that the White House reciprocal tariff memo covers far more than tariffs gives the administration a great deal of leeway to impose tariffs on even trading partners like Canada, Mexico and South Korea that have virtually no tariffs on U.S. exports.
The EU chairman of the Committee for International Trade and a former U.S. trade representative predicted that the trade dispute between the U.S. and the EU is unlikely to subside soon due to "fundamental disagreements" over economic policy.
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The White House announced this week it has selected Joseph Barloon to be its ambassador to the World Trade Organization, a role of a deputy U.S. trade representative. Barloon served as general counsel to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 2019-2020, during the first Trump administration. He also was nominated to be a judge at the Court of International Trade by President Donald Trump in that first term but wasn't confirmed (see 2102050032).
The Senate must confirm Barloon before he can begin the job.
Sohan Dasgupta has joined DHS as assistant secretary for trade and economic security, he announced on LinkedIn. Dasgupta will work on issues related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, along with other trade and supply chain issues. He previously served as a DHS deputy general counsel before going to a private practice in 2021.
William Poplawski, former deputy communications director for the House Select Committee on China, has joined the State Department as a senior adviser, he announced on LinkedIn.
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