WilmerHale International Trade Practice leader David Ross told panelists on a discussion of reciprocal trade that, "contrary to some earlier expectations, there are indications that the president is not planning to do a line-by-line" tariff adjustment to match tariff levels of trading partners, but, rather, to seek to quantify the costs of higher tariffs and other policies he sees as trade barriers, and to put a single tariff rate on the country's products.
President Donald Trump, perhaps seeking to clarify remarks he made in the Oval Office the previous day (2502260032), posted in the morning Feb. 27 that the fentanyl-related tariffs "scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled."
A Federal Maritime Commission administrative law judge ordered Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Feb. 25 to pay about $16 million in civil penalties for violating U.S. shipping laws.
Mexico should remain an attractive option for importers despite volatility from U.S. tariff threats, Mexico-based trade lawyer Alejandro Gomez argued during a Feb. 26 webinar hosted by In-House Connect, with lawyers from Foley & Lardner.
Jamieson Greer, the former chief of staff to the U.S. trade representative during the first Trump administration, was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 26, with a 56-43 vote. Five Democrats supported him, including both Michigan senators and Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and John Hickenlooper of Colorado. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted no.
The Trump administration plans to "aggressively" enforce the False Claims Act, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Granston said during the Federal Bar Association's qui tam conference last week, attorneys at McGuire Woods said. While most FCA enforcement action is taken in the field of healthcare, Granston said that DOJ will center future FCA enforcement on other Trump policy priorities, including customs fraud and "illegal foreign trade practices."
CBP reiterated that the trade community should conduct accurate reporting and payment of additional duties related to the tariffs on goods made in China or Hong Kong, or else face enforcement "on patterns of non-compliance," the agency said in a Feb. 25 cargo systems message aimed at updating guidance on the tariffs on goods from China.
Lobbyists from Foley & Lardner told a webinar audience that they expect tariffs under the push for reciprocal trade to be implemented "as early as June or July."
President Donald Trump exaggerated the death toll of fentanyl overdoses while discussing tariffs at a White House Cabinet meeting Feb. 26, and said, "I'm going to be very hard to satisfy" on whether Mexico and Canada have done enough to stop fentanyl smuggling at their respective borders.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America supports the National Marine Fisheries Service's efforts to automate entry processing for seafood imports, although the trade association also said NMFS needs to address some outstanding issues stemming from that agency's efforts to create a streamlined process that can parse out restricted shipments from non-restricted shipments, according to a Feb. 18 comment submitted to NMFS.