President Donald Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to enact his sweeping "retaliatory" tariffs (see 2504020086) has drawn serious speculation about whether the statute can serve as a proper basis for invoking the tariffs. Trade lawyers told us that potential issues arising from the use of IEEPA include the existence of tariff-making authority to address trade deficits under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, the "major questions" doctrine and the way in which the tariffs were calculated.
A former Trump trade negotiator, Kelly Ann Shaw, described as "one of the key architects of the Administration’s trade, investment, energy and national security policies" in Trump's first term by her current law firm, said the reciprocal tariffs announced April 2, based on goods trade deficits, are not the same tariffs that will be in place weeks, months or years from now.
A day after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs upon dozens of trading partners, including countries that the U.S. has historically had friendly relations with, customs brokers and importers have numerous questions, such as whether ACE has the ability to verify values accurately and what role drawback might have as companies respond to the tariffs.
The White House released two annexes to its proclamation setting 10% reciprocal tariffs April 5, and higher country-specific tariffs for some on April 9, including a list of goods excluded from the tariffs, some because they're potentially subject to Section 232 actions.
The International Labor Organization confirmed cases of forced and child labor in Turkmenistan, according to its report on labor conditions in the country.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the April 2 Federal Register on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register April 2 on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CVD rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
Suspension of liquidation and countervailing duty cash deposit requirements took effect April 3 for imports of overhead door counterbalance torsion springs from China (C-570-187) and India (C-533-937) after the Commerce Department found countervailable subsidization in preliminary determinations in its ongoing CVD investigations.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have introduced a bill to prevent the sale and import of fraudulent honey. The bill requires the FDA to create a formal definition and standard for honey and mandates the destruction of adulterated honey.
Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging him and President Donald Trump to exempt child care products from tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada. The tariffs will raise prices on "car seats, highchairs, strollers, and cribs" and "exacerbate the cost of caring for babies and toddlers," the lawmakers said.