U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer signaled that the Trump administration is preparing a broad overhaul of key parts of the USMCA, focusing on changing non-automobile rules of origin to incentivize U.S. production.
The House Ways and Means Committee voted 37-3 to recommend a renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act through the end of 2028, with retroactive benefits since the program expired Sept. 30 (see 2512090051). Requests for liquidation or reliquidation would have to be filed within 180 days of enactment of the law, and CBP would have to pay within 90 days. No interest would be offered on the tariff refunds.
As Chinese auto manufacturers establish outposts in Mexico, U.S. importers will need to ensure that those Chinese manufacturers don't have ties to forced labor situations in the Xinjiang region, supply chain data visibility provider Kharon said in a recent brief.
Mexico Customs announced that it will delay mandatory use of its new electronic value manifest until April 1, amid concerns over industry readiness and the potential for processing delays at Mexican ports of entry around the original Dec. 9 deadline (see 2512050039).
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has updated its guidelines on label approvals, according to a Federal Register notice. The guidelines are meant to help establishments meet new requirements for use of voluntary U.S.-origin label claims on FSIS-regulated products, per the final rule “Voluntary Labeling of FSIS Regulated Products with U.S.-Origin Claims.”
As lawsuits seeking refunds of International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs at the Court of International Trade continue to mount, lawyers remain uncertain of the refund process that would be followed should the Supreme Court strike down the tariffs, including whether refunds will come via judicial or administrative pathways.
The FDA is informing the Office of Management and Budget that it intends to continue to collect information related to the agency's efforts to maintain traceability records for certain foods. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act requires the FDA to establish additional recordkeeping requirements for facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold foods that the agency designates as high-risk to facilitate the rapid and effective traceability of such foods. The foods are on the Food Traceability List on the FDA's website.
CBP improperly denied importer Software Brokers of America, doing business as Intcomex, the temporary exclusion from International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs on China for in-transit merchandise, the importer argued in a Dec. 5 complaint at the Court of International Trade (Software Brokers of America d/b/a Intcomex v. United States, CIT # 25-00381).
Importers should brace for processing delays at the U.S.-Mexico border as a key component to recent reforms to Mexico's customs law go into effect (see 2511260062), freight forwarder and customs broker Livingston warns in a Dec. 5 update.
Steel interests, steelworkers and aluminum interests mostly said that 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum should remain for Canadian and Mexican exports even after upcoming USMCA review, with exceptions among some aluminum witnesses and the Mexican steel industry.