Twelve U.S. states led by Oregon filed a lawsuit April 23 against all of President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The states' complaint argues that Trump exceeded his authority as established in IEEPA, since the "annual U.S. goods trade deficits" are not an "unusual and extraordinary threat." The states also argue that neither the reciprocal tariffs, nor the tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico imposed to address drug trafficking, establish a sufficient nexus to the claimed emergencies (The State of Oregon v. Donald J. Trump, CIT # 25-00077).
The Commerce Department quietly launched an investigation into the national security threat of the import of trucks of gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds and components and systems for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, including engines and engine parts, transmissions and powertrain parts, as well as electrical components.
A Section 232 investigation on the national security threat posed by the import of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and their parts will collect comments for three weeks, through May 16.
Twelve U.S. states, led by Oregon, filed a lawsuit at the Court of International Trade challenging President Donald Trump's ability to impose tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The complaint contests all of Trump's tariff orders issued under IEEPA as a violation of both the statutory authority conveyed by IEEPA and the Constitution's principle of separation of powers. The suit, filed by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, also challenges CBP's series of Cargo Systems Messaging Service notices implementing the tariffs under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Dominic Bianchi, former general counsel of the International Trade Commission, has joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in the firm's Section 337 litigation and trade remedies practice, the firm announced. Bianchi spent 24 years at ITC, serving as general counsel since 2013.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has released in the Federal Register its Section 301 determination on U.S. shipbuilding (see 2504180018), meaning that it has confirmed the timelines for when the U.S. government will collect fees on foreign-built vessels docking at U.S. ports. Fee collection will begin Oct. 14.
The Federal Maritime Commission’s chief administrative law judge ordered ocean carrier ZIM Integrated Shipping Services April 22 to pay Samsung Electronics America $3.68 million for charging demurrage fees that violate the Shipping Act.
The prime minister of Thailand had said top officials would travel to Washington to talk tariffs on April 23, but according to Reuters and Bloomberg reporting, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the talks were postponed after the U.S. asked Thailand to address unspecified issues.
Experts predicted that a trade deal between the United States and China is unlikely in the short term and that any deal will depend on "some sort of down payment" by China before negotiations can begin.
A former staffer in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during President Donald Trump's first term and a Harvard professor agreed on very little in a debate hosted by The Federalist Society on Trump's tariffs and trade policy.