Asserting that importers who evade antidumping and countervailing duties in place against them expose U.S. employers to unfair competition and deprive the U.S. government of lawful revenue, President Trump signed an executive order, “Establishing Enhanced Collection and Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duties and Violations of Trade and Customs Laws,” on March 31. The order directs the secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the secretary of the Treasury, the secretary of Commerce and the United States trade representative, to develop an implementation plan by June 29, 2017 that would (1) require covered importers (those who, based on a risk assessment conducted by Customs and Border Protection, pose a risk to the revenue of the United States) to provide security for antidumping and countervailing duty liability through bonds and other legal measures, and (2) identify other appropriate enforcement measures.
According to the order, $2.3 billion in antidumping and countervailing duties owed to the government remained uncollected as of May 2015. Trump stated, “I’m signing [this] executive order to ensure that we fully collect all duties imposed on foreign importers that cheat. They’re cheaters. From now on, those who break the rules will face the consequences – and they’ll be very severe consequences.”