Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, "We’ve got a big deal coming with Taiwan," during a CNBC interview Sept. 11.
Former U.S. trade representative Michael Froman said the standards set by the World Trade Organization have been under stress for 15 years, and that its principles of global non-discrimination, bound tariff levels and restrictions on what can count as a bilateral or regional trade deal are dead for good.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the leading Republican for a secondary tariffs bill supported by 85 senators, said that he talked to President Donald Trump on Sept. 11 about "moving forward" with secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas. He said he was encouraging him to look upon the Russia sanctions bill as something that would help him, "basically, giving him the authority to do what he's doing, which would help him in court."
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said he has met with customs brokers each of the last three days, and their main ask is no more executive orders changing tariffs that are released on a Friday afternoon or night and take effect on Monday.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and eight other Democrats introduced a bill to require that small businesses receive refunds of the reciprocal tariffs within 90 days.
The EU wasn't willing to gamble on a trade war, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her annual "State of the EU" speech.
Nine legislative days before three trade preference programs expire, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said both he and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., are working to make sure the tariff breaks for these developing countries continue past Sept. 30.
The National Taxpayers Union, an anti-tax group, is arguing that House Republicans should not, for the third time, change the rules of the House to block a vote on the underlying emergencies that allowed the president to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The executive order implementing the U.S.-Japan tariff deal is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on Sept. 9, starting a seven-day clock for publication of a subsequent notice reducing tariffs on Japanese autos and auto parts currently subject to 25% Section 232 tariffs.
President Donald Trump posted on social media over the weekend that if the EU doesn't stop its "discriminatory actions" of fines against Apple, Google and other tech companies, "I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies" (see 2509050071).