A bill that would create a criminal offense for "knowingly and recklessly importing high-risk agents, toxins or organisms" was introduced last week by Reps. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Josh Riley, D-N.Y.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., introduced a bill last week to end the Jones Act, which requires that U.S.-built and -crewed ships serve intra-U.S. shipments, including to Puerto Rico.
President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the U.S. and Canada will "work something out" on trade, just before he met June 16 with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The two were meeting ahead of the beginning of a two-day Group of 7 summit in Canada's Alberta province.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website June 13, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADCVD Search page.
CBP posted the following documents for the June 18 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting:
Changes in how the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee is organizing its working groups, as well as further discussion about the potential incorporation of "real-time modern processes," are coming at a time when CBP appears to be putting greater emphasis on trade enforcement as part of a broader effort to bolster national security.
Nerissa Hamilton-vom Baur, former CBP attorney in the Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings, has joined Stinson as of counsel in the Washington, D.C., office's energy, environmental, mining and transportation practice, the firm announced. At CBP, Hamilton-vom Baur also served as a trade policy liaison to Congress to assist with coordination on "key trade initiatives," the firm said.
Market demand for ocean carriers from Asia to the U.S. West Coast has picked up as importers rush to beat any additional increases in tariff rates -- including potentially higher U.S. duties on goods from China, according to multiple sources.
Bloomberg reported that an Indonesian delegation's trip to Washington that had been scheduled for next week was canceled because its proposal to address its trade surplus was considered sufficient.