Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who has traditionally been a defender of the current law on de minimis (see 1907300048), said that while he's not up for lowering the $800 threshold, he would be willing to change the low value import process to combat fentanyl, as the White House is proposing.
A bipartisan pair of senators fleshed out a trade facilitation framework released in early June (see 2406100015) with legislative text that authorizes spending to create a true single window and modernize ACE, as well as details of how duty drawback could change.
Senators criticized both Congress and the administration's lack of action to use lower tariffs to build relationships in the developing world, at a Foreign Relations Committee hearing on strategic competition with China. The hearing, which was meant to focus on China's influence in Africa, Latin America and Europe, and what the U.S. could do to counter it, was held July 30.
Higher or new Section 301 tariffs on lithium-ion batteries for EVs, lead-acid battery parts, golf-cart like EVs, electric cars, vans and buses, plug-in hybrids, ship-to-shore cranes, solar cells, solar panels, syringes, needles, three categories of disposable masks, 26 critical minerals, more than 100 HTS codes covering iron and steel products, and 31 aluminum HTS codes, all on imports from China, will not go up on Aug. 1, as originally announced two months ago (see 2405220072).
Upcoming changes to Section 301 tariffs won’t begin to take effect Aug. 1, as was proposed by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in May. After receiving over 1,100 comments on its notice of proposed changes, the USTR now says it expects its final determination will be issued in August but with the actual tariff changes taking effect about two weeks after USTR “makes the final determination public.”
Canadian traders should prepare for increased scrutiny from the country’s customs agents for a range of imports in the coming months, and should consider conducting an “internal compliance review” to make sure they’re complying with all duties and trade laws, Baker McKenzie said in a July 25 client alert.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced a bill that would require the president to impose tariffs of at least 500% on all products imported from countries that buy oil or petroleum products from Iran.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is setting FY 2025 country allocations for imports under tariff-rate quotas for cane sugar and refined sugars. The FY 2025 import TRQ for raw cane sugar was established at 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), the minimum amount to which the U.S. is committed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay Round Agreements (see 2406130053). The USTR now allocates this TRQ among supplying countries and customs areas, as follows: Argentina 46,260; Australia 89,293; Barbados 7,531; Belize 11,834; Bolivia 8,606; Brazil 155,993; Colombia 25,819; Congo (Brazzaville) 7,258; Costa Rica 16,137; Cote d'Ivoire 7,258; Dominican Republic 189,343; Ecuador 11,834; El Salvador 27,971; Eswatini (Swaziland) 17,213; Fiji 9,682; Gabon 7,258; Guatemala 51,639; Guyana 12,910; Haiti 7,258; Honduras 10,758; India 8,606; Jamaica 11,834; Madagascar 7,258; Malawi 10,758; Mauritius 12,910; Mexico 7,258; Mozambique 13,986; Panama 31,199; Papua New Guinea 7,258; Paraguay 7,258; Peru 44,108; Philippines 145,235; South Africa 24,744; St. Kitts & Nevis 7,258; Taiwan 12,910; Thailand 15,061; Trinidad-Tobago 7,531; Uruguay 7,258; Zimbabwe 12,910.
Revenue from a 10% tariff on all U.S. imports could be offset by a tax cut, and together the two could result in an increase in incomes that would more than offset inflation caused by the tariff hike, according to an analysis released by the Coalition for a Prosperous America on July 24.
A recently introduced bill would create a 10-year tariff exemption for bicycle parts, with importers required to certify and document to CBP that the parts were used in the assembly of bicycles in the U.S. to qualify for the exemption, according to the text of the bill, released July 24.