Reps. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., and Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., introduced a bill this week to require country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef, so that cattle must be both raised and processed in the U.S. to be labeled "Product of USA."
The World Customs Organization recently announced that it will consider a new explanatory note on the meaning of “price actually paid or payable” for the purposes of customs valuation using transaction value. The proposed explanatory note includes information on forms of payment, direct and indirect payments, adjustments, considerations based on decisions of the WTO Committee on Customs Valuation, and deductions, “such as payments not related to the goods and post-importation charges.” The note “will be submitted for approval to the WCO Council at its June 2026 Sessions,” the WCO said.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a taped address to the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity held Oct. 10, said that his country "has taken effective actions" to address excess steel capacity, by imposing tariffs on direct and indirect steel imports from countries with overcapacity.
Joseph Barloon was confirmed to be the ambassador to the World Trade Organization in a 51-47 Senate vote Oct. 7. He was one of 108 nominees approved in that single vote. Barloon was first nominated in February. Barloon served as general counsel to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in 2019 and 2020. He had previously been nominated for the Court of International Trade, but since the nomination was 17 days before Trump left office, the nomination did not proceed.
The Commerce Department released its shutdown contingency plan on Sept. 29, which stated that only 60 out of 1,272 International Trade Association employees are excepted from furlough as "most services and activities" of the agency will cease, though the Bureau of Industry and Security's work on Section 232 investigations will continue.
The World Trade Organization's Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies took effect Sept. 15 during a special General Council meeting after instruments of acceptance were received from Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam and Tonga, the WTO announced. Those acceptances brought the total number over the two-thirds threshold needed for the deal to enter into force (see 2508250013).
Former U.S. trade representative Michael Froman said the standards set by the World Trade Organization have been under stress for 15 years, and that its principles of global non-discrimination, bound tariff levels and restrictions on what can count as a bilateral or regional trade deal are dead for good.
The president of Mexico has introduced a bill increasing tariffs on goods from countries with which it does not have a free trade agreement, including China. The measure would bring most tariffs to a rate of 35%, with some as high as 50%.
The House Appropriations Committee released a summary of its plans for several agencies on Sept. 1, and said it intends to eliminate funding for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. That bureau, commonly known as ILAB, prepares the annual report on products made with the worst forms of child labor and forced labor. It also has an app to help companies called "SourceRight."
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is requesting comments on how China is complying with its World Trade Organization commitments, including in its import regulation, export regulation, subsidies, non-tariff barriers, intellectual property rights enforcement, rule of law issues, and trade facilitation, or other issues.