The U.S. will impose another additional 25% tariff on India beginning Aug. 27 to address India’s imports of Russian oil, said President Donald Trump in an executive order issued Aug. 6.
Thompson Hine trade lawyer Dan Ujczo, who has expertise in North American trade and, particularly, automotive trade in the USMCA region, said the way the carve-outs to 25% Section 232 tariffs have been shaking out has surprised him -- and, he believes, has surprised countries that are automaking powerhouses.
An Aug. 5 survey from the National Foreign Trade Council reveals concern among importers that current U.S. tariff policies are causing supply chain disruptions, inflating costs, and delaying planned projects.
The Section 232 tariffs on copper and its derivatives appear to have been developed under a greater understanding of how U.S. manufacturing works, according to trade expert Cindy Allen, who appeared on an Aug. 1 "Simply Trade" podcast episode to discuss the numerous U.S. trade actions that occurred last week.
CBP created Harmonized System Update 2529 on Aug. 1, containing 59 Automated Broker Interface records and 16 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. HSU 2529 includes the adjustments to Section 232 Import duties on copper, the additional duties on imports from Canada and miscellaneous tariff adjustments required by verification of the 2025 Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
CBP recently offered guidance on how customs brokers and importers should apply 40% duties on goods imported from Brazil, following the White House's implementation of stiffer tariffs on the country (see 2507300066).
Multiple countries said they're still assessing the impact of the new U.S. tariffs that took effect Aug. 1 (see 2507310081), although some that agreed to deals, including the EU and South Korea, said they now have more stability for their industries.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in two television interviews Aug. 1, defended a surprise 39% rate for Swiss exports and said his focus isn't on reaching new settlements before reciprocal tariffs begin collection Aug. 7. Rather, he said, "We're really focused right now on implementing the deals that have been reached."
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection related to Section 232 national security adjustments for imports, it said in a Federal Register notice. The data collection relates to presidential proclamations 10895 and 10896, which require the Department of Commerce secretary to establish a process for including additional derivative aluminum and steel articles within the Section 232 tariffs for steel and aluminum. BIS said the agency is collecting data as part of broader efforts by the commerce secretary to conduct investigations on the effects on U.S. national security of importing an article. Comments are due by Sept. 30.
Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., expressed frustration this week with the potential impact on the U.S. spirits industry from the Trump administration's tariffs, saying they will continue fighting to repeal duties introduced through both the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Section 232.