On March 17, 2020, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) notified Congress of its intent to negotiate a trade agreement with the Republic of Kenya (see Trump and Trade Update of March 18, 2020) and shortly thereafter solicited public comments and announced a public hearing on the proposed United States-Kenya trade agreement.…

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has published amendments in the Federal Register to the North Korea Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. 510.101-.901 (NKSR), which became effective April 10, 2020. The new amendments incorporate into the NKSR certain provisions of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016…

Despite a tightening of economic sanctions on Venezuela under President Donald Trump, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) occasionally issues General Licenses clarifying, authorizing or exempting certain U.S. activities involving the Venezuelan government  or entities directly and indirectly affiliated with Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A (PdVSA).  Starting in January 2019, President…

On April 7, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a temporary final rule to establish export restrictions on certain types of personal protective equipment products (PPE) used in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Notes:

  • Effective April 7, 2020, most exports from the United States of certain

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In addition to its role in enforcing U.S. export control laws, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is charged with administering and enforcing the antiboycott laws under the Export Administration Act. These antiboycott laws were adopted to encourage and, in some circumstances, require U.S. companies to refuse to participate in foreign…

On February 13, 2020, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) fully implemented the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) (see Trump and Trade Update of January 22, 2020). Under FIRRMA, CFIUS was granted additional authority to review certain real estate transactions involving foreign persons when the public or…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), after seeking comments on whether to extend for another year certain product exclusions it granted in April 2019 (see Trump and Trade Update of February 5, 2020), has granted eight extensions covering the following Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) subheadings and product descriptions:

  • Roller machines designed

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On April 6, 2020, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) submitted a request to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) for an expedited Section 332 investigation to identify imported products that may be needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to…

As countries around the globe respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, business operations must adapt to changing rules and new restrictions. Many countries have limited business activity and travel, and many have taken actions that impact employee wages and benefits. In addition, several nations have issued economic stimulus measures that may provide companies with opportunities for…