Former President Donald Trump said Aug. 14 that he wants to impose a 10% to 20% tariff on “foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years,” making what seems to be a slight change to the 10% tariff on all U.S. imports that he proposed last year (see 2308290005).
A direct final rule released by the Federal Maritime Commission this week will set requirements for how and when the official FMC seal can be used. It’s also meant to prevent “any outside person or organization” from using the seal without commission approval, the FMC said, adding that there have “been recent occurrences of use of the seal by outside parties that FMC believes is misuse of the seal. Having a codified policy will help to ensure that the seal is used for lawful purposes only.” Violators could face administrative action or criminal penalties, the commission said. The rule takes effect Oct. 15 unless the FMC receives a “significant adverse comment” on the new requirements by Sept. 12.
The Federal Maritime Commission issued a “policy statement” this week to explain that it can use subpoena authority and other “administrative investigatory authorities” when probing agreements between and among ocean carriers and marine terminal operators that may be anticompetitive.
The Federal Communications Commission is launching a voluntary labeling program for wireless consumer “Internet of Things” products that have been certified and tested to meet FCC IoT cybersecurity standards, the commission said in a final rule released July 29.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has added the longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), a fish species found off the Pacific Coast, to the list of endangered and threatened wildlife. The designation, and resulting import and export restrictions, will be effective Aug. 29, it said in a notice.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is temporarily adding two benzimidazole-opioids -- N-desethyl isotonitazene and N-piperidinyl etonitazene -- to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a temporary scheduling order. The listing takes effect July 29, and will be in effect for up to three years.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it has clarified and simplified the process to import dogs to the U.S. following concerns coming from industry partners and various countries that planned changes to the importation rules would make the importation process too complicated.
Revenue from a 10% tariff on all U.S. imports could be offset by a tax cut, and together the two could result in an increase in incomes that would more than offset inflation caused by the tariff hike, according to an analysis released by the Coalition for a Prosperous America on July 24.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has given two South American bird species endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The final rule protecting the sira curassow (Pauxi koepckeae) and southern helmeted curassow (Pauxi unicornis) is effective Aug. 26, FWS said in a notice. Both species of large, ground-dwelling birds are found on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains, in narrowly defined areas in Peru and Bolivia.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, the International Air Transport Association and three other trade groups have asked House and Senate leaders to compel the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to delay the implementation of a rule that would affect the importation of dogs into the U.S.