Americans for Free Trade Asks for Longer Section 301 Tariff Exclusion Comment Period
Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of more than 100 trade groups, asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to extend a public comment period to respond to proposed changes to the Section 301 tariffs and a new product exclusion process limited to industrial machinery. They said another 30 days would be in the public interest.
In a letter sent last week, they wrote: "We are actively surveying our collective membership to gather feedback on the projected impacts of the proposed modifications and document them in a manner that is most helpful to USTR. However, our members have indicated that they require additional time to gather and assess such information given the breadth of HTS lines involved and given the prescribed comment format on USTR’s docket.
"In addition to an extension, we request that USTR organize a public hearing to allow stakeholders the opportunity to present their views on the proposed tariff modifications and exclusions to the administration directly."