Howard Lutnick was formally sworn in as commerce secretary during a White House ceremony Feb. 21. The Senate confirmed Lutnick for the position Feb. 18 (see 2502190014).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is inviting comments on unfair trade practices, which could be policies that undermine U.S. production or reduce U.S. exports to that country.
A bipartisan bill introduced by members of the House Ways and Means Committee would make changes to the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act to facilitate trade in coins and medals. The bill, led by Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, would have importers or buyers decare under oath that coins and medals were lawfully exported from the country where they were acquired, and the purchase was lawful, and that they aren't known to be "the direct product of illicit excavations" abroad after restrictions on exporting goods of this type were imposed.
Kevin Hassett, a top economic adviser who returned for President Donald Trump's second term, told reporters at the White House on Feb. 21 that he and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had just met with top Mexican officials about fentanyl and about reciprocal trade.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP has released its Feb. 19 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 59, No. 8), which includes the following ruling actions:
In the Feb. 19 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 59, No. 8), CBP published proposals to modify and/or revoke ruling letters concerning the tariff classification of aluminum locking brackets and frozen baked goods.
A dairy exporters trade group and a former USMCA negotiator say the state-to-state dispute panels under the NAFTA replacement are only a partial success.
President Donald Trump's directive in his proclamation expanding Section 232 steel tariffs to assess penalties for the misclassification of entries resulting in non-payment of the duties without regard for "evidence of mitigating factors" may run afoul of existing customs laws, trade lawyers said. Even if the directive stays within the bounds of the current statutory scheme, expect more prior disclosures and proactive steps to ensure the proper customs treatment of steel entries, the lawyers added.
The U.S. will consider a revival of Section 301 investigations on digital services taxes in several countries, as well as potential tariffs to counter “trade and regulatory practices” in those and other countries that “discriminate against” or “disproportionally affect” U.S. companies, under a memo signed by President Donald Trump Feb. 21.