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.
A Department of Homeland Security memo saying that members of DHS advisory committees have had their memberships revoked may apply to the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, though questions remain.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Chinese manufacturer Camel Group Co. took to the Court of International Trade last week to contest its placement on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, arguing that the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force "utterly disregarded, ignored and trampled" its due process rights in a "flawed and poorly executed process." The company said FLETF illicitly conducted the process in the shadows, refusing to offer it access to any of the evidence used against the company, and that the decision to deny its petition to be removed from the list wasn't backed by substantial evidence (Camel Group Co. v. United States, CIT # 25-00022).
President Donald Trump railed against the trade stance of the European Union, as he often has, as he talked about tariffs and trade deficits with reporters as he signed executive orders on the first day of his second term.
On his first day in office, the president directed the heads of agencies that deal with trade, tariff collection and trade remedies to:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative concluded that China's intervention in its shipbuilding and logistics sectors -- and its plans for dominance in shipbuilding -- unreasonably burden and restrict U.S. commerce.
No goods subject to special trade remedies -- 99.9% of which are subject to Section 301 tariffs -- would be able to enter as de minimis shipments under a proposed rule released by CBP Jan. 17.
Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for treasury secretary, told the Senate Finance Committee that they should think about how tariffs will be deployed by thinking of three categories.
Kevin Brady, who led the House Ways and Means Committee when Congress passed the Trump tax cut package, told reporters that Washington insiders expect "the [next Trump] administration will reinstate [Section] 301 investigations" that were begun when countries moved to collect digital services taxes from U.S. tech firms.