Steel industry executives told a bipartisan panel of House members that Canada and Mexico shouldn't be allowed an exemption from Section 232 tariffs, and a representative of Nucor, the largest U.S. steel manufacturer, asked the members to "vocally oppose any efforts to weaken these measures, whether through carve-outs for countries like Canada and Mexico or through gamesmanship like under-reporting the value of steel and steel products."

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, told International Trade Today that the fact that the House of Representatives already passed two spending packages complicates his desire to attach trade preferences to a spending bill, but that it is not necessarily an insurmountable hurdle. Both bills, which fund a number of departments through Sept. 30, must pass both chambers before Jan. 30. The Senate voted on the first of the two packages -- which funds Commerce Department, the International Trade Commission, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative -- a few hours after Crapo spoke. That leaves only one funding bill that could serve as a vehicle for the trade bills.

Despite a clamor from the trade community for guidance on how to calculate metal content value for Section 232 duty purposes, CBP seems hesitant to issue a customs ruling on the subject, according to trade attorney Mollie Sitkowski. The agency already has punted on the issue several times this fall, claiming that Section 232 tariffs are a Department of Commerce issue, she said.

Taiwanese auto parts and lumber derivatives subject to Section 232 actions will be subject to a 15% tariff, rather than the 25% rates applicable to most countries, the Commerce Department announced Jan. 15. The reciprocal tariff for Taiwan also will be cut, from 20% to 15%, inclusive of most-favored-nation duties.

Public comments submitted to the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee's Jan. 14 meeting were supportive of the committee's recommendations calling for CBP to release clearer and additional guidance on how importers can comply with Section 232 tariffs (see 2601120017), particularly when it comes to the valuation of steel and aluminum content.

Certain advanced chips, whose parameters are described in the annex to a presidential proclamation, will be subject to 25% tariffs starting Jan. 15, but a broad array of domestic uses are carved out of the Section 232 action.

International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

The House of Representatives passed, by large margins, bills that would restore the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the Haiti HELP trade preference program, and keep the tariff breaks active through the end of 2028.

President Donald Trump repeated his support for Iranian protesters to an audience in Detroit, saying, "You saw that I put tariffs on anybody doing business with Iran. Just went into effect today."

President Donald Trump said on social media Jan. 12 that he will, “[e]ffective immediately,” impose a 25% tariff on “any Country doing business” with Iran. The tariffs will cover “any and all business being done with the United States of America,” he said.