Former CBP Executive Director of Trade Relations George Bogden said April 25 that he had "fallen victim to character assassination," and that he was honored "to have played a role in advancing [President Donald Trump's] bold agenda on tariffs and trade."
CBP on April 24 quietly removed from its list of FAQs on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs a question about limits on informal entry.
Amid swirling reports that China is considering exemptions from tariffs on some critical U.S. goods, an industry expert said that these moves should not be read as a broader shift in the trade war between the two countries.
With so much uncertainty occurring with U.S. import regulations, companies should develop multiple strategies that address potentially different tariff outcomes, with some strategies being deployed in the short-term and others being deployed further down the road as the geopolitical situation becomes more clear, according to trade experts with professional services firm KPMG.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that trade negotiations with South Korea are "moving faster" than expected and that technical details could be available as soon as next week.
The 12 states that recently launched a lawsuit against all tariff action taken by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act will begin working on a preliminary injunction motion against the tariffs "in the near future," Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield told us. Rayfield was confident in the prospect of being able to show that Oregon and its many public institutions will suffer "irreparable harm" without the injunction and that a judge will be willing to question the validity of Trump's declaration that bilateral trade deficits amount to an "unusual and extraordinary" threat.
George Bogden, the executive director of CBP's Office of Trade Relations, is no longer employed at the agency, the administration said April 24.
CBP released a notice on the end of de minimis eligibility for products from China and Hong Kong beginning May 2, as outlined in an executive order issued earlier this month. The notice describes the new system of tariffs on carriers for postal shipments that will take effect on that date, as well as changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to implement the changes.
Domestic and foreign automakers, auto dealers and MEMA, the suppliers' association, asked the treasury secretary, commerce secretary and U.S. trade representative to rescind the planned 25% tariff on auto parts, which is now planned for early May under a Section 232 national security action.
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman that she had a meeting with USTR Jamieson Greer "yesterday that was a little bit comforting," but that the current 10% U.S. tariff on most countries, plus 25% tariffs on cars, steel and aluminum and some products from Canada and Mexico, and 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, if it lasts, will result in global merchandise trade falling by 0.2%. Before the actions, the WTO forecast a 2.7% growth in goods trade this year.