President Donald Trump, in a March 25 interview with Newsmax, said that while he doesn't "want to have too many exceptions" to the reciprocal tariffs, the percentage that is imposed may be lower than what the administration assesses is the total burden of tariffs and non-tariff barriers.

As the U.S., Mexico and Canada are poised to renegotiate the free trade agreement known as USMCA among the three countries, expect the U.S. to review the rules of origin and "tighten them" in favor of requiring a higher percentage of North American content, trade attorneys with Miller and Chevalier said on a March 25 webinar sponsored by public accounting firm Forvis Mazars.

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.

Though China was specifically mentioned in an executive order issued late March 24 announcing 25% tariffs on countries that import Venezuelan oil, India and the EU also imported Venezuelan oil in 2024, according to a report from Reuters earlier this year.

Most business interests argued that removing goods subject to Section 301 tariffs is not administrable, would damage the economy, and, if not abandoned, needs a long lead time to prepare for, in comments to CBP.

The Bureau of Industry and Security plans to soon issue general authorizations for certain Chinese connected vehicle imports, which could offer exemptions for small-scale manufacturers or companies importing items for testing, research or repair, Commerce Department officials said.

Groups that represent importers, carriers and ports are asking the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to rethink its remedies for Chinese dominance in shipbuilding, arguing that imposing fees on most ships bringing imports to U.S. ports will drive up prices, increase port congestion and devastate the business of smaller ports.

When President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter at the White House if his threat to put 25% tariffs on countries that import oil from Venezuela would apply to China, the top importer, he said it would.

President Donald Trump promised tariffs on automobiles in the "next few days," and seemed to indicate they would be announced prior to April 2, the date he said that sector tariffs as well as reciprocal tariffs will come into effect.

Apparel importers and retailers don't have much favor in this administration, but groups representing their interests tried to appeal to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's logical side in comments requested by the agency on the reciprocal tariffs slated for April 2. The trade group representing the greatly diminished domestic textile and apparel industry, in contrast, said reciprocal tariffs could be used to recoup $100 billion in annual lost sales.