Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., introduced a bill with 12 Democratic Finance Committee co-sponsors, to establish an inspector general at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The bill, introduced Aug. 6, would require the president to appoint an IG within 120 days of passage. A companion bill is expected to be introduced Aug. 7 in the House of Representatives by Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J. In a press release, Pascrell said, “Sunlight remains the ultimate disinfectant, and that is especially true when it comes to our trade policy. Our nation’s trade policies impact virtually every aspect of our economy and so Americans deserve to know that they are being formulated free of tainting influences and double-dealing. The opaqueness and outright corruption of Trump’s regime has revealed the need for a watchdog in all corners of our government. Our bill will ensure our trade policy will not be wielded for personal or political gain.” The bill says that within 180 days, the IG is to begin an audit of the process of granting Section 301 exclusions for Chinese goods.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced a new set of product exclusions for products on the fourth list of Section 301 tariffs on products from China. New subheading 9903.88.55 will be used for the exclusions, which will be found in U.S. Note 20(hhh) to subchapter III of chapter 99. The new set of exclusions are reflected in “one existing ten-digit HTSUS subheading and 9 specially prepared product descriptions, which together respond to 25 separate exclusion requests,” the notice said.
Almost three-quarters of all exclusions from list three Section 301 China tariffs are now set to expire Aug. 7, after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative declined to extend them in the run-up to their expiration. In a notice released Aug. 6, USTR only granted extensions to 266 of the about 1,000 list three exclusions published to date.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a new set of product exclusions from the fourth group of Section 301 tariffs on goods from China. The new exclusions from the tariffs include "one existing ten-digit HTSUS subheading and 9 specially prepared product descriptions, which together respond to 25 separate exclusion requests," according to the notice. The product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 1, 2019, the date the fourth set of tariffs took effect. The exclusions will be in effect until Sept. 1, 2020.
Most exclusions from list three Section 301 China tariffs are now set to expire Aug. 7, after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative declined to include them in a notice of extensions released the day before their slated expiration. In the notice, USTR granted extensions until Dec. 31 to only 266 of the nearly 1,000 list three exclusions published to date. That leaves over 700 exclusions to expire on schedule.
There are no plans to automatically extend Section 301 tariff exclusions, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in answers to written questions from senators on the Finance Committee and members of the House Ways and Means Committee. When he was asked repeatedly by members of Congress if the exclusions would be extended automatically to help small businesses struggling due to the COVID-19 recession, he said no and that “USTR has not decided whether to possibly extend again the exclusions extended until the end of 2020.” Lighthizer testified at the hearings in June (see 2006180029 and 2006170008).
The Coalition of American Chassis Manufacturers seeks the imposition of new antidumping and countervailing duties on certain chassis and subassemblies thereof from China, it said in a petition filed with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission July 29. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations, which could result in the imposition of permanent AD/CV duty orders and the assessment of AD and CV duties on importers.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories from July 27-31 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
A domestic manufacturer filed a petition on July 28 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on methionine from France, Japan and Spain. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD duty investigation on methionine. The investigation was requested by Novus International.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is requesting comments on whether exclusions to tariffs on Chinese imports on Section 301 List 1 should be extended beyond Oct. 2, it said in an Aug. 3 notice. Comments are due by Aug. 30, it said. The evaluation's focus will be on whether, despite the first imposition of these additional duties, the particular product remains available only from China. The companies are required to post a public rationale.