CBP to Prioritize Trump's America-First Trade Agenda, Official Tells COAC
CBP plans to double down on implementing President Donald Trump's America First trade policy, according to federal officials speaking during the quarterly meeting of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, held in Atlanta on March 5.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The agency will work with other government colleagues, such as those at the Department of the Treasury, DHS and ICE, to "prioritize national security, address unfair and unbalanced trade, increase domestic productivity and counter threats" from nations such as China, said Acting Deputy CBP Commissioner John Modlin.
"CBP bases priorities from this memo and will work to ensure that national security remains at the forefront of trade policy and enforcement efforts," Modlin said. Another CBP priority will include ensuring that U.S. businesses operate on a level playing field, he continued.
The agency also "plans to strengthen its enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the U.S. economy and combat illicit trade practices," Modlin said. Through this lens, CBP has been reviewing all previous proposed rules and draft initiatives to ensure that these proposals align with CBP's focus, he said.
CBP also supports the continued development of ACE 2.0, which could be used to support the enforcement of executive orders and presidential proclamations, Modlin said.
Other agency leaders speaking during the opening remarks of the COAC meeting echoed Modlin's comments about pursuing actions that support Trump's trade agenda.
Daniel Paisley, senior counsel for Treasury's tax, trade and tariff policy, said that includes "envisioning what an External Revenue Service could look like" (see 2501280024), as well as tackling de minimis and developing frameworks for reciprocal tariffs. It could also include looking for "non-tariff barriers" that "create an unfair landscape for our businesses," Paisley said.
Michael Ball, deputy assistant director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center with Homeland Security Investigations, said HSI would like to collaborate with CBP and other agencies on mechanisms such as the HSI-led Export Enforcement Coordination Center and the CBP-led National Targeting Center to counteract efforts by those seeking to evade duties, tariffs and sanctions as well as undermine the White House administration's trade priorities.
Meanwhile, members of COAC and the trade community expressed gratitude that the meeting was even held. A Jan. 20 letter from DHS said memberships on some DHS advisory committees were being terminated (see 2501220076).
"Thank you to all that had a hand in ensuring that COAC would continue," including those with Treasury and CBP, COAC trade co-chair Dave Corn said.
Trade and customs attorney Lenny Feldman, who attended the COAC meeting, also expressed his thanks and stressed the need for continued communication between federal agencies and the trade.
"As we see the velocity of new EOs, new memorandums [related to the] America First trade policy, national security, it's really going to take all of us, a public-private partnership, to ensure that the right information is being passed out," Feldman, a former COAC member, said.
That communication could include working with CBP to help brokers understand "interesting language" surrounding country of origin, according to Feldman, as well as providing more information on calculations surrounding steel derivatives (see 2503030054) and the evidence needed for tariff exemptions such as donations and informational materials. All these issues stem from recently announced tariffs.
"I just encourage all of us to work together, to communicate, to keep those flows of information going through," Feldman said.