The FDA's ability to process imports slowed down this fall, driven by a combination of factors: the government shutdown, the transition from a regional to a national processing program, and increased scrutiny of imported products subject to import alerts, such as products from Indonesia, sources told International Trade Today.
CBP's initiative aimed at facilitating partnerships between the agency and the trade community will likely remain intact under the Trump administration, but it's unclear how the initiative will evolve alongside CBP's renewed focus on trade enforcement, former CBP officials said at a "Customs and Trade Town Hall" held by the Automotive Industry Action Group last week in Detroit.
The Coalition for a Prosperous America, whose first CEO joined the Office of Management and Budget as associate director for economic policy (see 2502240005), is calling for replacing USMCA with two bilateral trade agreements. The CPA submitted comments for the USMCA six-year review.
The Chinese government announced that it's delaying its export licensing system that it announced in October, which affected rare earth processing equipment, extraterritorial use of its rare earths, and battery manufacturing equipment.
On Nov. 6, the FDA posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, blocked a vote on a bill that would end tariffs on imported coffee.
After a visit from five Central Asian presidents, President Donald Trump posted on social media that Uzbekistan will do a combination of purchases of U.S. exports and investments in the U.S. worth almost $35 billion over the next three years. He said these purchases and investments would be in critical minerals, aviation, auto parts, energy and chemicals, infrastructure, agriculture and information technology.
Three Chinese researchers were charged on Nov. 5 with conspiracy to smuggle biological materials into the U.S. and for making false statements to CBP officers, DOJ announced. The individuals, Xu Bai, Fengfan Zhang and Zhiyong Zhang, were all research scholars with J-1 visas conducting research at the University of Michigan laboratory of researcher Xianzhong Xu, DOJ said.
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 may be a more limited "fall-back option" for the Trump administration should the Supreme Court strike down all the tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Dr. Mona Paulsen, law professor at the London School of Economic Law School, wrote in a blog post.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: