2018

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross released today the Section 232 reports prepared by the Commerce Department and submitted to President Trump last month on the national security impact of U.S. imports of steel mill products and of wrought and unwrought aluminum. As expected, Commerce found that the quantities and circumstances of steel and aluminum imports “threaten to impair the national security.” The reports remain under consideration by the president. He is required to make a decision on the steel recommendations by April 11, 2018, and on the aluminum recommendations by April 19, 2018. The president can take a range of actions or no action, based on the analyses and recommendations provided in these reports.

President Trump and several Cabinet members hosted a meeting with congressional Republicans and Democrats on February 13, 2018 at the White House to discuss possible trade remedies in the Section 232 steel and aluminum investigations. The purpose of a Section 232 investigation is to determine the effect of imports on the national security of the…

As discussed during our recent “Trump and Trade: One Year Later” webinar, 2018 will not only be a year of monitoring continued trade enforcement activities by the Trump administration, but also a year to monitor how affected countries and industries will react to such trade actions. Yesterday’s update noted WTO action by various countries regarding…

As expected, the European Union, China, South Korea and Taiwan have formally requested WTO consultations with the United States over the Trump administration’s Section 201 global safeguard measures on imports of certain solar cells and washing machines. The countries requested consultations under Article 12.3 of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards, which entitles affected countries who…

On the eve of the State of the Union, 35 Republican Senators sent a letter to President Trump reaffirming their belief in the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). They urged the president to keep NAFTA in place but supported efforts to modernize the trade agreement. Overall, the letter extols the value…

In a lengthy State of the Union address, President Trump covered many issues and highlighted his administration’s achievements over the past year in claiming a “new American moment.” On international trade matters, Trump broke no new ground in reiterating his administration’s position that it will promote only “free, fair and reciprocal trade.” In his opening…

As required by Section 241 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) (see our Trump and Trade Update dated 10/30/17), the Treasury Department has submitted to Congress a detailed and classified report identifying senior Russian political figures, Russian oligarchs and Russian parastatal entities (companies in which Russian state ownership is at least…

While the sixth round of negotiations among trade officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States proceeded in Montreal last week on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the nonpartisan Business Roundtable released an economic analysis concluding that termination of NAFTA would have a significant net negative impact on the U.S. economy and employment.…

In remarks to attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump proclaimed that “the world is witnessing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America” that has dramatically cut taxes and eliminated burdensome regulations, and is reforming bureaucracy and ensuring its laws are enforced fairly. While acknowledging his “America First” stance, the…