The steel and aluminum tariffs should end as part of any Section 232 reform, a coalition of metal consumers is arguing. The Coalition of American Manufacturers and Users, the American Association of Exporters and Importers, the National Foreign Trade Council and two other trade associations sent a letter Nov. 19 to the leaders of the Senate Finance Committee. They were reacting to a statement by Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, that any reform would not address the steel and aluminum tariffs (see 1911050043). “Reforming the 232 statute without allowing for an end to the current steel and aluminum tariffs would ensure that this harm continues with no end in sight," the groups said. Grassley and ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., should "include a sunsetting provision that addresses current 232 tariffs in the mark that goes before the Senate Finance Committee to allow for a debate on these harmful tariffs and to ensure all stakeholders have a voice in the process."
Partner government agencies list several new regulations on their lists of upcoming rulemakings in the Fall 2019 Unified Agenda. The Food and Drug Administration says it intends to propose new recordkeeping requirements for high-risk foods, and again lists proposed rules to revise written assurance requirements under its Food Safety Modernization Act regulations. The Fish and Wildlife Service intends to expand its list of ports designated for importation of wildlife, and the Commerce Department is set to modify its licensing requirements for steel imports to monitor transshipment through Canada and Mexico.
Importers of goods from the European Union need to be particularly careful about the complicated web of country coverage and exceptions under Section 301 tariffs that began in October, according to KPMG trade consultants speaking during a webinar on Nov. 19. The structure of the new tariffs creates opportunities for duty savings in the form of tariff engineering, shifting supply chains and taking advantage of narrow carve-outs.
Increased Section 232 duties on steel products from Turkey may be invalid or even unconstitutional, the Court of International Trade said in a Nov. 15 decision. Denying the government’s motion to dismiss an importer's challenge of the 50 percent duty, which was dropped back to 25 percent in May (see 1905170004), the court said Transpacific Steel raises arguments that may lead to a refund of the additional duties in the CIT’s final decision.
CBP has assessed about $46.4 billion in duties under the major trade remedies started during the Trump administration as of Nov. 13, according to CBP's trade statistics page. That includes $36.8 billion in duties from the Section 301 tariffs on goods from China and $34.7 million duties from the Section 301 tariffs on goods from the EU (see 1910020044). CBP also has assessed about $6.4 billion under the Section 232 tariffs on steel and $1.8 billion under tariffs on aluminum. The Section 201 trade remedies on washing machines, washing machine parts and solar cells (see 1801230052), imposed Jan. 23, 2018, account for $1.2 billion in assessed tariffs.
President Donald Trump told a Wall Street Journal White House reporter that he's been fully briefed by the U.S. trade representative on the issue of auto tariffs, and said he will make a decision very soon on whether he will delay imposing tariffs on imported cars and car parts.
President Donald Trump, in a press conference with the president of Turkey on Nov. 13, said trade with Turkey “could be many times larger" than it is now, and that his administration has the goal of roughly quadrupling the volume of trade between the two countries, which would be $100 billion in two-way trade. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. goods exported to Turkey were valued at $10.2 billion, while goods imported totaled $10.3 billion.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said a bill reforming Section 232 won't be introduced in his committee until after the Senate votes on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, because, he said, that vote is a political complication for Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Grassley, who was responding to a question from International Trade Today Nov. 12, said he doesn't think Wyden has a problem with the NAFTA rewrite, but that "it's a problem for Democrats generally, and I think he's got that to work with, and needs more time on 232. And I’m willing to give him more time, because I don’t see how I can move productively ahead without his cooperation."
Outgoing European Union President Jean-Claude Juncker said he doesn't believe there will be tariffs on European autos this month. The U.S. trade representative is supposed to report to Donald Trump on Nov. 14 on whether there have been enough concessions resulting from talks with Japan and the European Union that the domestic auto industry is no longer imperiled by imports from those regions.
NEW YORK -- Most apparel was spared from Section 301 tariffs until September, when a large swath of imports was hit with 15 percent additional tariffs, though a few categories were on List 3, and are facing an additional 25 percent. Between the two rounds, 77 percent of apparel is subject to 301 tariffs. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is now tasked with considering exclusion requests for List 3, and Assistant USTR for Textiles Bill Jackson said that volume is “astounding" -- about 30,000 requests. Only 600 of those are in tariff code chapters 50 to 60, he said, and fewer than 20 have been granted approval so far.