CBP has updated its list of merchandise descriptions defining what's considered vague and what isn't, according to a Sept. 16 cargo systems message.
The Biden administration will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to forbid all goods subject to major trade actions, including Section 301 tariffs, from de minimis entry, the White House announced. It will also issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to require information submissions for de minimis packages, including the 10-digit HTS code and the person receiving the goods.
The administration rebranded two pending rulemaking processes and revived one that was abandoned in 2021 to address the compliance risks of de minimis shipments as well as shrink the volume of direct-to-consumer imports.
Tariffs on imports from China of electric vehicles, EV batteries, solar cells and wafers, face masks, needles and syringes, critical minerals and steel and aluminum will go up Sept. 27, with more Section 301 tariff hikes planned for Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026.
It's not clear whether removing all Chinese goods or apparel from de minimis would shrink the universe of duty-free imports the most, but the latter approach, combined with a restriction for Section 301 tariff targets, may be gaining support on the Hill.
A regional union president for CBP officers asked Congress "to close the de minimis exception" or at least lower the de minimis threshold, but also to increase funding for frontline staff.
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House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said members of Congress have a wide range of views "of what the reaction should be" to compliance weaknesses in de minimis shipments. "But I think we need to continue the conversation and look for solutions that can generate the results we need," he said. Smith said he thinks Congress can pass a de minimis bill this year.
The Commerce Department looks set to recognize a Turkish company’s name change for the purposes of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on circular welded carbon steel standard pipe and tube products (standard pipe), welded line pipe (WLP), certain oil tubular goods (OCTG), and large diameter welded pipe (LDWP) from Turkey (A-489-501/C-489-502, A-489-822/C-489-823, A-489-816/C-489-817, A-489-833/C-489-834). In the preliminary results of the AD and CVD changed circumstances reviews, the agency preliminarily found Borusan Birleşik Boru Fabrikalari Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Borusan Boru) is the successor-in-interest to Borusan Mannesmann Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (BMB).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: