A regional union president for CBP officers asked Congress "to close the de minimis exception" or at least lower the de minimis threshold, but also to increase funding for frontline staff.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said members of Congress have a wide range of views "of what the reaction should be" to compliance weaknesses in de minimis shipments. "But I think we need to continue the conversation and look for solutions that can generate the results we need," he said. Smith said he thinks Congress can pass a de minimis bill this year.
Former President Donald Trump, at a campaign rally over the weekend in Wisconsin, said he would impose a 100% tariff on goods from countries that "leave the dollar."
A survey of large American-headquartered multinationals -- 40% of which capture more than $1 billion in revenue from Chinese operations -- found as one of their top concerns the rising competitiveness of Chinese companies, whether from subsidization or business advances, or a combination of those factors.
CBP implemented on Sept. 4 a nationwide rejection of vague descriptions in Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS). The agency won't issue rejections during a 30-day warning period that runs through Oct. 6. Rejections will be effective Oct. 7, CBP said in a Sept. 5 cargo systems message.
The Court of International Trade on Sept. 5 said a CBP headquarters ruling on see-through pop-up tent "pods" that differed in outcome from a previously decided protest didn't require public notice-and-comment because the protest wasn't a "prior interpretive ruling or decision." Judge Timothy Reif dismissed one of importer Under the Weather's counts in its customs classification case on the pods, finding that the prior protest approval wasn't the result of "considered deliberations," didn't have "prospective effect" and wasn't "interpretive."
Digital security cameras mounted as doorbells fall under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule heading governing TV cameras and video camera recorders, according to three separate CBP rulings issued June 21 and publicly released last week.
The Internal Revenue Service said it is considering the addition of four chemicals to its list of taxable substances subject to the Superfund tax on imports. The agency seeks comments by Nov. 4 on petitions to add propylene glycol phenyl ether imported under tariff subheading 2909.49.1500 at a rate of $13.16/ton; propylene glycol n-propyl ether under subheading 2909.49.6000 at a rate of $10.43/ton; propylene glycol methyl ether under 2909.49.6000 at $10.58/ton; and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate under 2915.39.9000 at $8.85/ton.
The House of Representatives will not be voting on a de minimis restriction as part of its "China week," according to a list of 31 bills published by its leadership Sept. 3. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had said in July that he expected changes to de minimis to be part of the package (see 2407080049).
The U.S. has suspended liquidation for goods exported from Minera Camino Rojo, a mine in Zacatecas, after deciding a petition from Mineros, a mining union, had merit. The petition said that managers undermined worker support for Mineros and promoted the idea of joining a different mining union. This is the 27th time the U.S. has invoked the USMCA rapid response labor mechanism; all cases have been settled without a removal of tariff benefits.