President Donald Trump, in response to a question from a reporter at the White House, said 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico are coming on Feb. 1, on Saturday.
Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., reintroduced a bill to disallow the use of de minimis entry for packages that include goods subject to Section 301 tariffs. The bill passed the House Ways and Means Committee in 2024 (see 2404180068). Murphy said in a Jan. 28 news release that two-thirds of de minimis imports are from China. "By updating our De Minimis law, we are creating a fairer playing field for American businesses to compete and ending abuse by Chinese companies," he said.
Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick vigorously defended the prospect of imposing tariffs on all goods from places like the EU, Japan or South Korea during his confirmation hearing Jan. 29, saying those countries deserve it, as they either use food safety rules to protect their farmers, put up barriers to American car imports, or undercut American manufacturing with their exports of manufactured goods.
A bipartisan bill was introduced this week in the Senate that asks the Commerce Department to study the national security risks posed by routers and modems designed, manufactured or sold by Chinese companies. Similar to the connected vehicles rule, a determination that these products imperil national security could result in a ban on their import, even if the products were built in Vietnam, Malaysia or other countries.
President Donald Trump announced his intention to use tariffs to force countries to accept planes full of their deported citizens, as well as new sector specific targets beyond steel and aluminum.
With 25% tariffs on Canadian and/or Mexican goods hanging like a sword of Damocles over importers' heads, some are rushing to bring their goods in before Saturday, some are getting ACH set up for electronic transfer of payment to CBP -- and some are doing absolutely nothing.
A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the House that would require that the minimum tariff charged on Chinese goods be 35%, that tariffs higher than 35% in Column 2 of HTS be applied to some Chinese imports, 100% tariffs on hundreds of items on the Section 301 target list, and that the bound rates for U.S. tariffs, as declared at the World Trade Organization, should be changed to Column 2 for all countries.
North America trade expert Dan Ujczo, from Thompson Hine, was expecting 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico to begin Jan. 20.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who voted against USMCA because he felt it moved too much in the direction of managed trade, told an audience at a Council on Foreign Relations event Jan. 23 that, despite all of his talk of tariffs, "a lot of folks will be surprised at the extent to which President [Donald] Trump will pursue broad, aggressive tariffs."
When the House Ways and Means Committee asked all House members for their opinions on what should belong in the tax cut bill the Republicans are shaping, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., used the opportunity to talk about both taxes and trade.