Responding to our question on Whirlpool's claims that U.S. import data shows its competitors are evading tariffs (see 2509150067), a CBP spokesperson told us that import data has recently been skewed by accidental overreporting of the quantity of goods imported, causing an erroneous spike in import volumes for affected goods.
The U.S. is likely to impose more trade controls to push Chinese chips and other components out of American technologies, which could raise costs and make managing supply chains even more challenging, technology policy analysts said this week.
As importers mull their options on how to prepare for potential tariff refunds should the Supreme Court rule against the legality of IEEPA tariffs, importers should also be mindful of the potential pitfalls they might encounter as they preserve their rights to refunds from CBP, according to speakers during Flexport's Sept. 17 webinar on tariffs and updates on trade.
British news outlets reported that there was an agreement to allow a small quota of British steel to enter the U.S. duty-free, and subject the rest of steel and aluminum products to the currently applicable 25% Section 232 tariff, but that the deal was abandoned shortly before President Donald Trump's arrival in London this week.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said there will be votes in the Senate in early October to end emergencies that underlie tariffs on Canada and Brazil.
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.