The Court of International Trade on Jan. 16 sent back CBP's finding that importer Columbia Aluminum Products' door thresholds evaded the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on aluminum extrusions from China. Judge Timothy Stanceu said CBP, in both the final evasion decision and an administrative review of the decision, committed "multiple errors, both of fact and of law." The judge said CBP didn't have evidence on its side in making the evasion finding, nor did it properly initiate the investigation.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai says that her agency and Congress "will need to work closely together" to address the fact that "existing rules of origin have left openings" for Chinese firms with operations outside China to avoid Section 301 tariffs and, depending where the operations occur, benefit from free trade agreements.

Heather Hurlburt will step down as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's chief of staff, effective Jan. 26, and Jamila Thompson, a senior adviser to USTR Katherine Tai, becomes acting chief of staff. “I have worked with Jamila Thompson for ten years, dating back to our time as colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has been a trusted [adviser] throughout my time as United States Trade Representative," Tai said in the announcement.

The International Trade Commission published notices in the Jan. 16 Federal Register on the following AD/CVD injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):

The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register Jan. 16 on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):

The Commerce Department intends to recognize four Canadian companies as cross-owned entities for the purposes of countervailing duties on softwood lumber products from Canada (C-122-858). The agency in the preliminary results of a changed circumstances review found Interfor Corporation, EACOM Timber Corporation, Chaleur Forest Products Inc., and Chaleur Forest Products LP are cross-owned entities. Commerce noted that the purpose of the CCR doesn't include identifying the applicable cash deposit rates for the companies in question but said that all four have already been assigned the cash deposit rate that non-selected companies have.

On Jan. 12, the FDA posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:

A bipartisan House bill to consolidate CBP positions is scheduled to get a vote this week. Introduced by Reps. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., the measure would eliminate job descriptions of import specialist, entry specialist, national account manager, international trade specialist, drawback specialist and national import specialist, consolidating those duties under the job of global trade specialist. The bill previously passed out of the Ways and Means Committee unanimously (see 2311070066).

The House and the Senate have agreed to temporarily fund the federal government through March 1 or March 8, depending on the agency. The continuing resolution in place now ends, for some agencies, on Jan. 19. The two chambers still need to vote on the legislation to extend funding beyond the end of this week.

An agreement between the chairmen of the House Ways and Means and the Senate Finance committees includes authorization for the administration to negotiate a fix to tax laws for foreign investment in Taiwan but doesn't include a renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program.