The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued Friday Federal Register notices exempting Section 301 tariffs for certain List 3 (imports from China with an annual trade value of $200 billion) and List 4 (imports from China with an annual trade value of $300 billion) products. While the Items on List 3 include several non-medical supply related
Tariffs/Trade Policy
In Annual Reports to Congress, USTR Continues to Criticize Russia and China for Poor WTO Compliance
Recently, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued its annual reports to Congress assessing how the People’s Republic of China (China) and the Russian Federation (Russia) have been complying with their World Trade Organization (WTO) accession agreements, including both their multilateral commitments and bilateral commitments with the United States. China became a member of the WTO…
USTR Issues Section 301 Product Exclusions for Medical Supplies to Help Curb Coronavirus Spread
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a Federal Register notice exempting from List 4 (imported Chinese products with an annual trade value of $300 billion) of the Section 301 tariffs targeting China eight entire 10-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) subheadings that cover 59 separate exclusion requests. While there is no reference in the notice,…
Secretary Ross Provides Update on Section 232 Steel/Aluminum Trade Actions to Senate Committee on Appropriations
On March 5, 2020, Secretary Wilbur Ross testified before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee to discuss President Donald Trump’s fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget request for the Department of Commerce. In laying out the funding requests for each agency within the department, Ross requested $137.7 million for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in order…
USTR Seeks Public Comment on Possible Extension of Section 301 Tariff Exclusions for Chinese Products on List/Tranche 1
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a Federal Register notice seeking public comment on the possible extension of Section 301 tariff exclusions for certain products that it granted on May 6, 2019, in the ongoing trade dispute with China. These exclusions were in the third batch of exclusions granted as part…
Federal Circuit Upholds President Trump’s Section 232 Tariff Authority
In a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit), a three-judge panel has upheld a lower court’s ruling that Congress’s delegation of authority over trade does not violate the Constitution. This ruling is the result of a complaint filed in June 2018 by several steel-related trade groups alleging that…
President Trump Declines to Impose Section 232 Tariffs on Titanium Sponge Imports
On February 27, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum declining to impose Section 232 tariffs on imports of titanium sponge. While concurring with the findings of the Department of Commerce’s Section 232 report that imports of titanium sponge threaten to impair national security, the president declined to take action in the form of…
Another U.S. Importer Files Complaint Against Trump Administration’s Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Derivative Product Tariffs
Huttig Building Products, Inc. (Huttig) has become the latest U.S. importer to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s recent Section 232 tariffs on certain steel and aluminum derivative products. In a complaint filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT), Huttig argues that the president’s January 24, 2020 Proclamation imposing a 25…
USTR Announces Additional Section 301 Tariff Exclusions for Certain Imported Chinese Products on List 2
For only the fourth time, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has published a Federal Register notice announcing Section 301 tariff exclusions for certain imported Chinese products appearing on List 2. These products have been subject to Section 301 tariffs since August 23, 2018, when President Donald Trump announced additional import duties on…
USTR Announces Additional Section 301 Tariff Exclusions for Certain Imported Chinese Products on List 3
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has published a Federal Register notice announcing additional Section 301 tariff exclusions for certain imported Chinese products appearing on List 3. These products have been subject to Section 301 tariffs since September 24, 2018, when President Donald Trump announced additional import duties on Chinese goods with an…
