Immigration issues dominated an appropriations hearing for the Department of Homeland Security, but DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she also wanted to touch quickly on trade. More money is needed to "keep foreign adversaries from stealing our intellectual property" and to enforce trade laws, she said. In prepared testimony that she did not read during the hearing, she said the president's budget "includes funding to enhance the Automated Commercial Environment and to put more attention on high-risk imports while facilitating smaller, legitimate shipments more quickly. The request also includes funding for additional attorneys, trade specialists, and financial specialists to provide adequate support for trade facilitation and enforcement activities."
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 30 - May 4 in case they were missed.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- The completion of "core" ACE was a proud moment for Brenda Smith, CBP executive assistant commissioner-trade, but she's aware of the remaining needs for the system, she said during a May 2 speech at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference. "I know we're not done," she said. "Let me say that again. I know we're not done."
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- CBP is considering offering trusted trader benefits to those in the e-commerce world as a way to improve compliance, said John Leonard, executive director-trade policy and programs at CBP, during a May 2 panel discussion at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference. The hope is to "incentivize all these new actors in this space to improve the platforms and marketplaces, etc., to be more compliant," he said. "Part of that could involve the Trusted Trader program" and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, he said. CBP "is looking at this very closely."
CBP issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- The Census Bureau expects to issue proposed rules for routed export transactions by the fall, said Omari Wooden, assistant division chief, International Trade Management Division at Census. Census is in the process of going through many issues raised by industry in comments to the agency (see 1712070039), Wooden said at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference on May 1. "We are the government, so instead of months, we give you seasons, so probably sometime in the fall we're hopeful to come out with something," he said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 23-27 in case they were missed.
RANCHO MIRAGE, California -- Much of the $34 million in "additional money earmarked for ACE" within the recent omnibus government funding bill is already "planned out," said Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo and conveyance security and controls, while speaking at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference on May 1. "That money was to be allocated for new development or enhancements in the ACE process," he said. CBP has a priority list, he said. Among the factors for the priority list was a list of requests provided to CBP from the NCBFAA (see 1802200043).
CBP is unjustifiably holding up regulatory changes for drawback required by the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 by including them in a 450-page regulatory package that may take years to wind through the rulemaking process, said several companies challenging CBP’s interim drawback procedures at the Court of International Trade in a recent legal brief. Responding to the government’s motion to dismiss their case, the plaintiffs said part of the reason CBP hasn’t yet issued its new drawback calculation rules is likely because its upcoming Part 190 proposal includes non-urgent, optional conforming regulations that go beyond Congress’ mandate.