Comments from President Donald Trump and from a private talk by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on April 22 gave importers hope that the triple-digit tariffs on Chinese imports will drop soon. But Bessent, speaking to Bloomberg after a speech on April 23 at the Institute of International Finance, said there is no plan for the U.S. to drop its tariffs unilaterally, and that there is no timeline for engagement with China.
Twelve U.S. states led by Oregon filed a lawsuit April 23 against all of President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The states' complaint argues that Trump exceeded his authority as established in IEEPA, since the "annual U.S. goods trade deficits" are not an "unusual and extraordinary threat." The states also argue that neither the reciprocal tariffs, nor the tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico imposed to address drug trafficking, establish a sufficient nexus to the claimed emergencies (The State of Oregon v. Donald J. Trump, CIT # 25-00077).
Twelve U.S. states, led by Oregon, filed a lawsuit at the Court of International Trade challenging President Donald Trump's ability to impose tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The complaint contests all of Trump's tariff orders issued under IEEPA as a violation of both the statutory authority conveyed by IEEPA and the Constitution's principle of separation of powers. The suit, filed by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, also challenges CBP's series of Cargo Systems Messaging Service notices implementing the tariffs under the Administrative Procedure Act.
A Section 232 investigation on the national security threat posed by the import of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and their parts will collect comments for three weeks, through May 16.
The Commerce Department quietly launched an investigation into the national security threat of the import of trucks of gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds and components and systems for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, including engines and engine parts, transmissions and powertrain parts, as well as electrical components.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has released in the Federal Register its Section 301 determination on U.S. shipbuilding (see 2504180018), meaning that it has confirmed the timelines for when the U.S. government will collect fees on foreign-built vessels docking at U.S. ports. Fee collection will begin Oct. 14.
The prime minister of Thailand had said top officials would travel to Washington to talk tariffs on April 23, but according to Reuters and Bloomberg reporting, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the talks were postponed after the U.S. asked Thailand to address unspecified issues.
A former staffer in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during President Donald Trump's first term and a Harvard professor agreed on very little in a debate hosted by The Federalist Society on Trump's tariffs and trade policy.
CBP is accepting comments through June 23 on a request by a domestic party to reclassify certain cane sugar molasses and liquid sugar from Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 1703.10.30 to subheading 1702.90.10 or subheading 1702.90.20.
Although the number of entry summaries processed by CBP in March slightly rose compared with amounts in January and February this year and March 2024, the amount of identified estimated duties nearly doubled, according to releases from the agency.