Sheep ranchers in the U.S. are complaining that U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai hasn't asked the International Trade Commission to open a safeguard investigation for mutton and lamb imports, more than a year after they first asked for the action.
A bipartisan group of 10 House members, led by Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., is asking U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to engage with Mexico's leaders on that country's constitutional reforms.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is asking for advice on how the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council's Global Trade Challenges Working Group can enhance sustainable bilateral trade, coordinate to confront non-market policies in other countries, and more effectively counter those policies and practices.
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 soliciting comments for its annual National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, which can cover goods, services, foreign direct investment and e-commerce access. Comments are due by Oct. 17, and should be submitted at http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2024-0015.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Pennsylvania's two senators asked the government to lower the Section 232 quota for South Korean oil country tubular goods, as was done during the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. has asked Canada for formal consultations on the 3% digital services tax on revenues of large social media platforms, e-commerce platforms and other companies that target advertising or collect data from Canadian customers.
Higher or new Section 301 action on Chinese goods such as batteries, EVs, plug-in hybrids, ship-to-shore cranes, solar cells and panels, syringes, needles, critical minerals, some metals will not go up until at least September, as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has missed a second self-imposed deadline. The proposed changes, first announced in May, said some tariffs would go up on Aug. 1, but on July 30, the office said it had not finished responding to more than 1,100 comments, and it would make a final determination in August (see 2407300047).
USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are accepting applications for new members to sit on agricultural trade advisory committees, the agencies said this week. Applications are being accepted for six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees -- covering animals, fruits and vegetables, grains and more -- as well as the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, which advises the administration on the implementation and enforcement of trade agreements and trade policy. Members serve four-year terms without compensation. Applications are due by 5 p.m. EDT Sept. 20.
The U.S. said that U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng talked dairy market access, trade in softwood lumber, and cooperation in USMCA. "Tai welcomed Canada’s recent announcement concerning electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum. The two ministers also discussed their shared commitment to strengthening North American supply chain resilience, especially for electric vehicles, and stressed the importance of collaboration on issues related to non-market policies and practices of other countries," the U.S. readout said. Canada's readout said: "Minister Ng raised the issue of U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber products and discussed the need to move forward in a mutually beneficial manner that would create greater predictability and stability in the forestry sectors of both countries."