The U.S. is using "magical thinking" as the basis for its defense in the case against the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, said Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Hand2Mind and Learning Resources, the plaintiffs in the suit currently at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Businesses should anticipate that even more derivative products could be added to the list of Section 232 tariffs for steel and aluminum (see 2508150063), Flexport senior trade advisory manager Anna Zajac said during an Aug. 20 company webinar on the tariffs.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP created Harmonized System Update 2532 on Aug. 17, containing 52 Automated Broker Interface records and 21 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. HSU 2532 includes Executive Order Section 232 Additional Aluminum and Steel Inclusion Product Updates, effective Aug. 18, and miscellaneous tariff adjustments required by verification of the 2025 Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
In the Aug. 13 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 59, No. 33), CBP published proposals to modify and revoke ruling letters concerning the tariff classification of metal and rubber automotive air springs and suspension bushings, as well as modify ruling letters and revoke treatment relating to the documentary requirements of subheading 9801.00.20.
CBP provided guidance on the additional goods subject to Section 232 tariffs for steel and aluminum derivatives. The Aug. 15 guidance followed an announcement of the tariff inclusions earlier in the day (see 2508150063).
The International Trade Commission published notices in the Aug. 15 Federal Register on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department issued notices in the Federal Register on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigations on freight rail couplers and parts thereof from the Czech Republic (A-851-806) and India (A-533-940), as well as its countervailing duty investigation on freight rail couplers from India (C-533-941). The CVD investigation covers entries in calendar year 2024. The AD investigations cover entries July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Greg Steube, R-Fla., introduced a bill Aug. 15 that would codify the Trump administration’s 10% tariff baseline on all imported goods (see 2504020068) and create a separate category of tariffs for China.
Tariffs on steel, chips and semiconductors will come into effect by next week or the week after, President Donald Trump said on Aug. 15.