President Donald Trump seemed to say April 17 he doesn’t intend to raise tariffs on China further, and that he might actually be looking to lower them.
Customs brokers are still wishing for guidance from CBP on the in-transit exemptions mentioned in the April 2 executive order on reciprocal tariffs, according to remarks made during the April 17 bi-weekly ACE support call hosted by CBP.
Effective April 21, transportation and logistics firm DHL expects to temporarily suspend the collection and shipping of business-to-consumer shipments to private individuals in the U.S. where the declared customs value exceeds $800, according to an online notice.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is planning a phased-in approach to assessing fees on foreign-built vessels calling at U.S. ports, according to an April 17 announcement unveiling the results of its year-long Section 301 investigation.
Forty-seven senators and representatives, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., expressed concern April 16 that the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariff policies negotiations could become a spoils system.
CBP has released its April 16 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 59, No. 16). It contains one ruling action, related to the tariff classification of Cub Cadet Utility Vehicles. It also includes four Court of International Trade slip opinions.
Air cargo transportation is likely eligible for reciprocal tariff exemptions for goods in transit as of April 5 or 9, according to two trade lawyers with law firm Grunfeld Desiderio, echoing similar comments from a DHL official the previous day who said the exemption applies to both air and truck modes (see 2504160027).
USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service will impose an additional safeguard duty on certain sugars, syrups and molasses that fall under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, it said in a Federal Register notice.
President Donald Trump was set to join talks at the White House with Japan April 16 “to negotiate Tariffs, the cost of military support, and ‘TRADE FAIRNESS,’” he said in a Truth Social post earlier in the day. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were also set to attend, he said. “Hopefully something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and the USA!”
The state of California opened a lawsuit in the District Court for the Northern District of California on April 16 against President Donald Trump's ability to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs. The two-count complaint claims that Trump acted beyond his statutory authority granted by IEEPA to impose the "reciprocal" tariffs and the tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, and that Trump's tariff actions usurp legislative authority in violation of the U.S. Constitution (State of California v. Donald J. Trump, N.D. Cal. # 3:25-03372).