CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2404 on June 4, containing 44 Automated Broker Interface (ABI) records and 13 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. The update includes a partner government agency Harmonized Tariff Schedule flag indicator update, extensions to Section 301 exclusions (see 2405240068), and an update noting the continued suspension of the 25% Section 232 tariffs under subheadings 9903.81.82, 9903.81.83, 9903.81.84 on steel and derivative steel products imported from Ukraine.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is publishing a request for comments on the administrative burden of applying for Section 301 exclusions for manufacturing equipment. The comments will be due by July 30.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Full details about the Section 301 exclusion process will be revealed next week, but a White House memo said that importers of machinery in chapters 84 and 85 will need to submit requests for exclusions, even though the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative already has compiled a list of HTS codes it sees as appropriate targets for exclusions. The memo said there will be a way to register opposition to those requests, as well. The memo said the USTR "shall prioritize, in particular, exclusions for certain solar manufacturing equipment."
The restriction that products that owe Section 301 tariffs will not be able to avoid Column 1 tariffs through the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill could greatly reduce how much money is saved by importers.
In the first third of its first public hearing on promoting supply chain resilience, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and interagency officials heard from groups disputing the premise of the project -- that liberalizing trade was harmful to U.S. workers and manufacturing -- and from those who say the worker-centered trade approach of the Biden administration is not going far enough to restore American manufacturing.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Feb. 26 - March 3:
Funding for the next seven months for the trade-related divisions of the Commerce Department will be down slightly, though fees may more than make up the difference at the International Trade Administration, if projections are accurate. These are considerations as Congress eyes finalizing an appropriations bill by the end of the workweek.