On July 10, 2024, the United States and Mexico jointly announced measures to protect the North American steel and aluminum markets from unfair trade. Both countries will implement policies to prevent tariff evasion on steel and aluminum and undertake efforts to strengthen North American steel and aluminum supply chains. These efforts are intended to prevent
Section 232 Investigations
BIS Updates Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Tariff Exclusion Process by Removing 12 GAEs
On May 17, 2024, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a Final Rule revising the Section 232 tariff exclusion process for imported steel and aluminum products. These changes, effective July 1, 2024, are intended “to refine the framework under which exclusions from the tariffs on steel and aluminum can be requested…
CBP to Deactivate Certain Section 232 Exclusions Upon Reaching 95% of Allocated Quantity
On January 5, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued guidance via its Cargo Systems Messaging Service announcing new thresholds for deactivating Section 232 steel and aluminum product exclusions prior to reaching 100% of the allocated quantity under any granted exclusion. CBP has announced that effective February 15, 2024, for certain types of Section…
EU Suspends Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Imports and U.S. Extends TRQs on Imports of EU Steel and Aluminum as Bilateral Negotiations Continue
The temporary trade truce between the United States and European Union (EU) will continue after the EU issued a press release on December 19, 2023 announcing the customs union would suspend the reimposition of certain retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports until March 31, 2025. The EU’s retaliatory tariffs, which were scheduled to resume January 1…
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Section 232 Steel Appeal
On October 30, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear another Section 232 national security steel tariff appeal. On July 21, 2023, PrimeSource Building Products, Inc. filed Petition for a Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the lower court decision of…
BIS Proposes Changes to the Section 232 Imported Steel and Aluminum Product Exclusion Process
On August 28, 2023, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a proposed rule to revise the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariff exclusion process. The proposed rule responds to public comments received in response to BIS’s February 2022 Request for Public Comments. By proposing further revisions to the exclusion request process, BIS…
WTO Rules China’s Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Imports Inconsistent with International Trade Agreements
In a landmark ruling on August 16, 2023, the World Trade Organization (WTO) determined that the retaliatory tariffs imposed by China on U.S. imports in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs were inconsistent with international trade rules. The decision marks a significant moment in the long-standing trade dispute between the two major economic powers.
Petitioner Seeks U.S. Supreme Court Review of Decision Allowing Section 232 Tariffs on Steel Derivatives
On July 21, 2023, PrimeSource Building Products, Inc. filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, after unsuccessfully seeking an en banc hearing before all of the judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In that decision, a three-judge panel reversed a lower court decision and…
Plaintiffs Seek Full Federal Circuit Rehearing of Decision Allowing Section 232 Tariffs on Steel Derivatives
On April 24, 2023, plaintiffs in an ongoing challenge at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit filed a Petition for Rehearing En Banc of their argument that former President Donald Trump improperly imposed additional Section 232 national security tariffs on derivatives of certain imported steel articles. In their petition for consideration by…
U.S. Supreme Court Denies Petition Challenging Section 232 Steel Tariffs
On March 27, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by USP Holdings, Inc. and related parties challenging the Trump administration’s Section 232 tariffs on steel imports. The steel importer petitioners had asked the Court to reverse aspects of a June 2022 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (and…