Steel industry executives told a bipartisan panel of House members that Canada and Mexico shouldn't be allowed an exemption from Section 232 tariffs, and a representative of Nucor, the largest U.S. steel manufacturer, asked the members to "vocally oppose any efforts to weaken these measures, whether through carve-outs for countries like Canada and Mexico or through gamesmanship like under-reporting the value of steel and steel products."
Taiwanese auto parts and lumber derivatives subject to Section 232 actions will be subject to a 15% tariff, rather than the 25% rates applicable to most countries, the Commerce Department announced Jan. 15. The reciprocal tariff for Taiwan also will be cut, from 20% to 15%, inclusive of most-favored-nation duties.
Taiwanese auto parts and derivative goods subject to the lumber 232 actions will be subject to a 15% tariff, rather than the 25% rates applicable to most countries, the Commerce Department announced. The reciprocal tariff for Taiwan will also be cut, from 20% to 15%, inclusive of most-favored nation duties.
Witnesses at a House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee hearing about digital trade and international protections of intellectual property rights praised the Trump administration's work on maintaining a moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, such as music downloads, streaming films and software.
The Court of International Trade on Jan. 14 confirmed that the government's stipulation regarding the availability of refunds from tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act "applies to all current and future similarly situated plaintiffs."
President Donald Trump repeated his support for Iranian protesters to an audience in Detroit, saying, "You saw that I put tariffs on anybody doing business with Iran. Just went into effect today."
Despite continued aggressive rhetoric around trade policy, tariff levels heading into 2026 are likely to stabilize as the Trump administration pivots to affordability issues, according to Flexport executives speaking during a Jan. 8 webinar on tariff trends.
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The U.S. and Indonesia "have agreed on the substance stipulated in the reciprocal trade negotiation document," Indonesia said in a Dec. 23 news release, according to an unofficial translation. It said technical meetings for legal scrubbing would be held in the second week of January, and the agreement should be signed by the third week of January.
Two apparel trade experts said the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act had a bigger impact on sourcing shifts than this year's trade war, but if the framework agreements with Guatemala and El Salvador turn into full agreements, the duty-free status for qualifying apparel from those countries could make a difference.