The Kissell Amendment, which generally requires that Department of Homeland Security apparel- and textile-related procurements originate from U.S. sources, typically affects procurements only falling between $150,000 and $191,000, a Government Accountability Office report found. Kissell applies only to certain textile purchases directly related to U.S. national security interests above a $150,000 threshold, and under the U.S.’s current World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) threshold of $191,000, the GAO said. Per the GPA and U.S. regulations, U.S. agencies must give foreign and domestic procurement offers equal consideration for procurements at or above $191,000.

The National Customs Brokers& Forwarders Association of America posted a summary of the Federal Communications Commission's recent final rule on importing radiofrequency equipment (see 1711010011). The agency ended its Form 740 filing requirements for RF devices and made other changes to import compliance rules earlier this month.

The Labor Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are asking for public comments on labor capacity building efforts in Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) countries, and whether they meet labor obligations under the agreement. CAFTA-DR requires the Trump administration to reach out to the public for comments to help assess labor conditions in the party countries. Congress approved funding for labor capacity building efforts in CAFTA-DR countries from fiscal year 2005 through 2017. Comments are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 2, 2018, via www.regulations.gov if submitted electronically.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is temporarily adding the synthetic opioid cyclopropyl fentanyl to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said. The listing takes effect Nov. 21, and will be in effect for up to three years.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will “put on hold” the “issuing of permits” while it reviews its decision to again allow imports of elephant hunting trophies, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement dated Nov. 17. President Donald Trump said Nov. 19 on Twitter said that a decision “will be announced next week” but that he “will be very hard pressed to change my mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of [e]lephants or any other animal.” FWS announced the new policy on Nov. 17, after finding that the “killing of African elephant trophy animals in Zimbabwe, on or after January 21, 2016, and on or before December 31, 2018, will enhance the survival of the African elephant” (see 1711160018).

The International Trade Commission launched an investigation to examine U.S. trade in goods and services and investment in sub-Saharan Africa, the ITC announced Nov. 17. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requested the review in a letter ITC received Oct. 23. The report is expected to be delivered to USTR by April 30, 2018. The ITC will host a public hearing to inform the review on Jan. 23, 2018, for which requests to appear should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. Jan. 9, the ITC said.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 17 released a study naming the 12 states most at risk of suffering from a U.S. withdrawal from NAFTA, in terms of potential job losses and export declines. Part of the Chamber’s ongoing urgent effort to preserve the liberalizing aspects of NAFTA and guard it from being abandoned by the U.S., the study notes that all 12 of the states voted for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. The study ranks Michigan, Wisconsin and North Dakota as Nos. 1, 2, and 3, respectively, in danger of the biggest economic struggles if the U.S. withdraws from the pact, followed in order by Texas, Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Arizona, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. “In general, [politically] ‘red’ and ‘purple’ states seem to be much more reliant on exports in general and exports to Canada and Mexico in particular than ‘blue’ coastal states,” the Chamber said. Out of the 12, the states in jeopardy of losing the most jobs are Texas (970,000), Pennsylvania (513,000) and Ohio (463,000), the study projected.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will again allow imports of elephant hunting trophies from Zimbabwe for animals killed on or after Jan. 21, 2016, it said. FWS “has made a finding that the killing of African elephant trophy animals in Zimbabwe, on or after January 21, 2016, and on or before December 31, 2018, will enhance the survival of the African elephant,” it said. FWS will review permit applications for importing hunting trophies on a case-by-case basis, “and each application also needs to meet all other applicable permitting requirements before it may be authorized,” FWS said. The determination remains in effect until Dec. 31, 2018. FWS “will reevaluate the status of African elephants in Zimbabwe before the end of 2018 and make a new finding in the beginning of 2019 for, at least, the 2019 hunting season,” the agency said.

Fifty-six percent of Americans believe NAFTA is good for the U.S. and 33 percent believe it is bad for the country, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Only 30 percent said Mexico benefits more from the agreement than the U.S., while 20 percent said Canada benefits more. But 54 percent of Republicans and “Republican-leaning independents” view NAFTA negatively, while 35 percent say it is good. Meanwhile, 72 percent of Democrats and “Democratic leaners” say the agreement is good for the U.S. and 18 percent believe it’s bad, Pew said. Further, 53 percent of right-leaning individuals say Mexico benefits more from the deal than the U.S., compared with 31 percent who say the deal benefits the two countries equally and 7 percent who say the U.S. benefits more. Fifty-eight percent of left-leaning individuals said NAFTA benefits the U.S. and Mexico equally, while 16 percent said Mexico benefits more and another 16 percent said the U.S. benefits more.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) is seeking comments on requests by the government of Morocco to revise U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement rules of origin for certain knit apparel, and certain pants, skirts and jackets, the committee said. The U.S. government received petitions from Morocco on Oct. 10 to add 19 knit fabrics in Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States chapter 61, as well as certain jackets, skirts and pants in HTSUS chapter 62 to the FTA’s short supply list. CITA will accept comments through Jan. 5 on whether the U.S. domestic industry can supply the fabrics in commercial quantities in a timely manner.