UPDATE: On March 24, 2025, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a message noting the release of an updated list of impacted HTSUS codes covering “energy” and “energy resources” from Canada that are now subject to 10% tariffs since March 4, 2025. The list now specifically includes all crude and crude mixtures along with
Trade Remedy/Enforcement
Trump Administration Initiates Section 232 Investigation into Imports of Timber and Lumber that May Lead to New Tariffs
On March 1, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) initiating an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to determine the effects on national security of imports of timber, lumber and their derivative products (including paper products, furniture and cabinetry) dumped into the U.S. market. The EO states…
President Trump Issues Executive Orders on Use of the De Minimis Exemption for Imports from Canada and Mexico
The White House issued two Executive Orders on March 2, 2025 amending the February 1, 2025 Executive Orders Imposing Duties to Address the Situation at Our Southern Border and Imposing Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border (see Thompson Hine Update of February 3, 2025). The March 2 amendments…
U.S. Coalition Files AD/CVD Petitions on Certain Chassis and Subassemblies from Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam
On February 26, 2025, two U.S. chassis manufacturers representing the domestic industry – petitioners Cheetak Chassis Corporation and Stoughton Trailers, LLC – filed petitions with the Department of Commerce seeking the initiation of dumping and countervailing duty investigations into certain chassis and subassemblies imported from Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam that are allegedly being or are…
USTR Seeks Public Comment on Unfair and Non-Reciprocal Foreign Trade Practices
On February 20, 2025, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it is seeking comments from the public to identify and address unfair and non-reciprocal foreign trade practices. This initiative is part of the broader America First Trade Policy Presidential Memorandum and the Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs Presidential Memorandum.
The…
President Trump Announces “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” to Address U.S. Trade Relationships and to Counter Non-Reciprocal Trade with Other Countries
In a February 13, 2025 Memorandum, President Donald Trump instructed the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative, with input from other agencies, to initiate “all necessary actions to investigate the harm to the United States from any non-reciprocal trade arrangements adopted by any trading partners.” Upon completion of this investigation, the president…
President Trump Initiates Tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China Under the IEEPA – Tariffs on Mexico and Canada Suspended until March 4 but Tariffs on China Start February 4
UPDATE: On February 7, President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) addressing the additional duties placed on imports into the United States of products of China. The article below stated that use of duty-free de minimis treatment on imports for shipments under $800 was being removed for shipments from China. The president has since…
President Trump Announces “America First Trade Policy”
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump released a Presidential Memorandum setting forth an “America First Trade Policy.” In the memorandum, Trump announces these trade actions:
- Directing the Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Trade Representative to “investigate the causes of our country’s large and persistent
Department of Commerce Adjusts Levels of Civil Monetary Penalties for 2025
On January 15, 2025, the Department of Commerce’s inflation-adjusted civil monetary penalties for 2025 went into effect. The adjustments, which the Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) published in the Federal Register on December 30, 2024, update the penalty rates for violations of laws and regulations enforced by the agency and its bureaus.
While over 40 civil…
CBP Publishes Proposed Rule to Limit Duty Exemption for Certain Low-Value Shipments
On January 17, 2025, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) intended to tighten the de minimis duty exemption for certain low-value shipments entering the United States. Under the proposed rule, merchandise subject to specific trade and national security actions would no longer qualify for the de minimis exemption and…