International mail can’t benefit from exemptions from reciprocal tariffs for subheadings listed as exempt in the executive order that set the tariffs, CBP said in an update to its FAQ on e-Commerce. “Exemptions listed under ANNEX II of EO 14257 do not apply to International Mail,” the agency said. CBP didn’t immediately comment.
As the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee winds down in its current iteration, both trade and government officials expressed hope for continuing their collaboration as CBP shifts the committee's focus more toward trade enforcement, according to comments made during the COAC's quarterly meeting on Sept. 17.
The House of Representatives voted 213-211 to prevent any votes to end emergencies underlying reciprocal tariffs, fentanyl tariffs or the additional Brazil tariffs -- however, the vote nearly went the other way.
The Vietnamese government said it sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, asking Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "to reconsider their decision to refuse to recognize the equivalent of 12 Vietnamese seafood fishing occupations in order to avoid serious disruptions to bilateral trade and protect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen and workers."
House Republicans stopped an effort to end the 40% additional tariffs on some Brazilian imports in an evening vote Sept. 15, though two Republicans voted with Democrats. Democrats, led by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., sought to force a vote on the matter through a discharge petition, which can force a vote on a matter the House leadership does not want to take up. The effort came up short by a margin of 200-198.
When asked whether a broader trade agreement might be reached with China, beyond the current tariff truce, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said each of the four meetings has become more productive. There will need to be a fifth meeting before the truce expires Nov. 10, he told CNBC from London on Sept. 16. "I think the Chinese now sense a trade deal is more possible," he said.
President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters just ahead of a visit to King Charles III in England, said the U.K. government would like to "refine the trade deal a little bit ... I'm into helping them." He added, "They'd like to see if they can get a little bit better deal, so we'll talk to them."
Importers who have paid tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act should look to affirmatively safeguard their right to receive refunds should the Supreme Court vacate in some form President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed under the statute, various law firms said. The attorneys issued the alerts in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to hear two cases on the legality of IEEPA tariffs on an expedited basis (see 2509090058).
As CBP winds down the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee in its current iteration (see 2507010077), the COAC's de minimis working group offered proposed recommendations to CBP to bolster entry processing in ACE amid the end of the de minimis exemption on Aug. 29. These recommendations include treating postal shipments similarly to how CBP handles low-value shipments via other transportation modes.
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