The Coalition for Prosperous America is proposing that a Section 232 investigation on polysilicon result in a tariff-rate quota that is limited to "in-quota trusted suppliers" such as South Korea or Germany, and that excludes Chinese products. A "$0.10 per watt tariff" should apply to over-quota imports of solar cells, with a quota volume "tied to U.S. production capacity" and overseen by the Department of Energy, it said in public comments.
Asking other countries to open their markets to more exports from the U.S. is causing significant changes to how countries have historically conducted trade, according to speakers on Gibson Dunn's Aug. 8 webinar "U.S. Trade Policy: Navigating Uncharted Waters."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the Group of Seven nations to follow the U.S. in imposing secondary tariffs on countries that continue to buy Russian oil, including possibly China.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that wrapping up remaining trade deals by October is "aspirational" in part because India has been "recalcitrant" during trade negotiations.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will likely rule against the Trump administration in the lead case on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, though it's unclear under what exact rationale the court will do so, said Peter Harrell, a former National Security Council official during the Biden administration.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The threat of the Trump administration's tariff policy looms over the upcoming USMCA review, causing former officials involved in the initial negotiations to warn that the review may turn into a non-stop renegotiation complicated by tariff discussions.
Target General Merchandise's string light models are properly classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule heading 9405 as lamps with a "permanently fixed light source" not specified elsewhere in the tariff schedule and not under heading 8543 as parts of electrical machines having individual functions not specified elsewhere in the chapter, the Court of International Trade held on Aug. 13. Judge Lisa Wang ruled that Target's seven models of string lights specifically fall under subheading 9405.30.00 as lighting sets "of a kind used for Christmas trees.”
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The American Apparel and Footwear Association thanked the Trump administration's suspension of higher tariff rates on China, but said the measure only keeps American companies and consumers "stuck in the same holding pattern" since President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs were announced.