International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Dec. 21-24 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, joined by five Republicans and two Democrats on the committee, told the Office of Management and Budget that a proposed rule to carve out items under Section 301 tariffs from de minimis needs “a thorough and complete review,” including a public comment period of 60 days. However, the letter was not signed by either of the two men who might be the chairman in January, depending on which party controls the Senate.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Dec. 14-18 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Customs brokers, after many years of lobbying (see 09021315), won a change to the treatment of duties transferred to them by importers that later go bankrupt. The brokers had argued that these duties should not be subject to clawback provisions under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, where payments to vendors within 90 days can be seized by the bankruptcy courts for redistribution.
CBP looks set to issue a proposed overhaul of its regulations on forced labor in the near term, Ana Hinojosa, executive director of CBP’s Trade Remedy and Law Enforcement Division, said during the Dec. 16 meeting of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee. Hinojosa said she is “keeping my fingers crossed” that “hopefully in the next 30 days we might see it published.”
CBP's “restrained enforcement” of the USMCA provisions will end as previously planned after Dec. 31 (see 2011040039), acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said during the Dec. 16 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting. “Starting with the new year, CBP will enforce the USMCA as it does all other trade agreements,” he said. The agency allowed for lax enforcement of certifications of origin requirements for six months after the deal took effect so industry could adjust to the changes (see 2006020023). The CBP USMCA Center, created to help with USMCA implementation (see 2005120042), will remain in place for another three to five years, he said.
The Treasury Department published its fall 2020 regulatory agenda for CBP. The agenda now mentions a proposal to end the de minimis exemption for goods subject to Section 301 tariffs. The proposal was previously disclosed by the Office of Management and Budget (see 2009040026), where it remains under review. Brenda Smith, CBP executive assistant international trade commissioner, recently cited some operational concerns with the idea (see 2011100034).
The Coalition for a Prosperous America published advice to the transitioning Joe Biden administration, which includes a call to continue and intensify the kind of tariff and sanctions policies used by the Trump administration, and to go further, such as by raising the bound tariffs at the World Trade Organization. The CPA also asked for countrywide withhold release orders for forced labor, a reduction of the $800 de minimis level and a change in the makeup of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee. “The membership of COAC should equal representation by domestic businesses and labor harmed by unlawful imports, rather than being dominated by multinationals and importer interests,” they said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Nov. 9-13 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Nov. 16. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP: