As importers respond to swift changes in the deployment of Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum (see 2506030071), they should continue to follow due diligence protocols for entry filing -- and that means even when CBP's guidance on additional subheadings for Section 232 steel and aluminum duties doesn't fully align with what's in official documents, such as the Federal Register, multiple customs attorneys told International Trade Today.
China this week criticized the Trump administration's decision to double tariffs on steel and aluminum, saying the tariffs will backfire on the U.S. and “seriously disrupt the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum promised unspecified retaliatory measures against the U.S. for doubling tariffs on steel and aluminum, unless a deal is struck between the two countries before next week.
President Donald Trump got the phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping he'd been seeking, and Trump wrote on social media that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products."
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, after receiving critiques over 10% tariffs on bananas and tariffs on Asian food imports from House Appropriations Committee members, said that countries that sell "unavailable natural resources" like bananas, cocoa, coffee and spices will be allowed to export those goods duty-free, as long as they don't have barriers to U.S. agricultural exports.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that there would be $2.5 trillion collected in tariffs -- after accounting for consumer changes -- from 2025 to 2035 if the global 10% reciprocal tariff remained, de minimis was still curtailed, and tariffs on most Chinese products and on some Mexican and Canadian products, as well as 25% tariffs on the auto sector, steel and aluminum, continue during that period. (The estimate was prepared before the president doubled the tariffs on steel and aluminum.)
CBP created Harmonized System Update 2521 on June 4, containing 73 Automated Broker Interface records and 35 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. HSU 2521 includes Section 232 Aluminum and Steel tariff adjustments effective June 4.
CBP issued a pair of CSMS messages late June 3 clarifying the changes to the steel and aluminum tariffs.
Given an increase in Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum (see 2506030071), it may be less costly for importers to no longer take advantage of an exemption from tariffs on autos and auto parts for USMCA goods, according to a tariff expert at supply chain logistics platform Flexport.
Two Republican senators on the Appropriations Committee whose states have major foreign automakers' factories asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick if the administration would support an export credit for major auto exporters. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., referred to the fact that about two-thirds of the Mercedes vehicles assembled in Alabama are exported, and asked if an export credit is still under discussion.