A bipartisan bill sponsored by a half-dozen House members from Florida -- though none on the Ways and Means Committee -- offers full refunds for tariffs paid for imports of goods that should have been covered by the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program. It also renews the program through the end of 2029.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., recently introduced a bill that would require the president to hike tariffs on Chinese battery components, solar energy components and wind energy components by 25%. Those goods are currently subject to 25% Section 301 tariffs. The bill also would require that tariff rate to rise by 5 percentage points each year, for five years, until it reaches 50%.

A bipartisan bill has been introduced that would set country-by-country de minimis levels, instruct the administration to reconsider U.S. tariffs "with the focus on the principle of reciprocity" for most favored nation rates, and open a dialogue with Mexico and Canada on allowing Costa Rica and Uruguay to join USMCA.

Funding for the next seven months for the trade-related divisions of the Commerce Department will be down slightly, though fees may more than make up the difference at the International Trade Administration, if projections are accurate. These are considerations as Congress eyes finalizing an appropriations bill by the end of the workweek.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and 40 other House Democrats are asking Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas "to crack down on the de minimis trade loopholes allowing cheap fast-fashion products to flow into the U.S."

Sen. Josh Hawley wants the baseline tariff on cars made by Chinese companies to be 100%, not 2.5%, and to apply whether those cars are assembled in China, Thailand, Brazil, Hungary or Mexico.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., started a Congressional Review Act process that could restore a ban on beef imports from Paraguay if it passes in both chambers. The two had already tried to introduce a bill to ban the beef imports.

A bipartisan pair of Arizona congressmen recently introduced the CBP Hiring and Retention Act, also called CBP Hire, which would give DHS the ability to bypass usual federal hiring routines for rural areas if the agency determines there's a critical hiring need in the region.

With no legislative action on a proposal to end China's eligibility for de minimis shipments, one of its authors, Sen. Sherrod Brown, is asking the Biden administration to end de minimis treatment for all e-commerce purchases, or, at least, stop de minimis treatment for goods subject to partner government agency review, products that are trade priorities, and goods subject to Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., said the Strengthen Wood Product Supply Chains Act (see 2402140043) would "significantly undermine Lacey Act enforcement efforts targeting the illegal trade in timber, wood products, and wildlife."