The Commerce Department is beginning a Section 232 investigation on possible tariffs on commercial aircraft and jet engines, including parts, it said in a notice released May 9. The agency will consider “the effects on national security of imports of commercial aircraft and jet engines, and parts for commercial aircraft and jet engines,” as well as “whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security,” among other things. Comments are due June 3.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on May 9 upheld the Court of International Trade's classification of 14 mixtures of frozen fruits and vegetables under Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 0811.90.80, the residual category for "other" frozen fruit.
The only two countries in the world whose trade deals with the U.S. are still being honored are Mexico and Canada, a Mexican trade expert said, meaning the impact of fentanyl tariffs, steel and aluminum Section 232 tariffs, and auto and auto parts tariffs on Mexico's exports to the U.S. is not as dramatic as initially feared. Still, nearly 30% of the $505.9 billion in goods exported to the U.S. last year would face 25% additional tariffs now, either because the goods are subject to a Section 232 action, or they are goods that cannot meet USMCA rules of origin, an expert said.
The 10% tariff on the first 100,000 autos exported annually from the U.K. will be "all-in," according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. CBP couldn't clarify whether that would be done by removing most favored nation duties on U.K. autos and then applying a 10% tariff rate, or whether the additional tariff rate for in-quota autos would be 7.5%.
The chaotic situation that importers and customs brokers have been facing as tariff policy swings wildly from one extreme to the next is partially due to the fact that CBP is unable to influence policy in the Trump administration, Pete Mento, director of customs and international trade at DSV, said on May 8. Decisions about tariffs are made without expert insight into how their actual implementation will affect the broader trade community, he said.
A U.S.-U.K. trade deal announced in the Oval Office leaves the average tariff on U.K. goods at 10%; however, aerospace engines and parts will enter duty-free.
President Donald Trump, responding to a reporter's quote from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the administration is considering tariff exemptions for car seats from China [see Ref:2505060052]), said he doesn't know if he wants to do that.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, after an evening announcement that he would travel to Switzerland to have trade talks with China on May 10 and 11, said that at current levels of tariffs, there's a trade embargo between the two countries.
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President Donald Trump, ahead of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, denied that his tariff actions against Canada and Mexico have killed USMCA, but also cast doubt on its future. He said USMCA "was a transitional deal" to move away from NAFTA, and said "we'll see what happens" with the renegotiation. He said it could be adjusted, or terminated.