USDA is increasing the FY 2024 tariff rate quota for raw cane sugar by 125,000 metric tons raw value, it said in a notice released March 6. The increase brings the total FY 2024 TRQ, originally set at the 1,117,195 MTRV minimum mandated by the World Trade Organization, to 1,242,195 MTRV, USDA said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will allocate the increase among supplying countries and customs areas. Raw cane sugar under this quota must be accompanied by a certificate for quota eligibility.
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notices on March 6:
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., recently introduced a bill that would require the president to hike tariffs on Chinese battery components, solar energy components and wind energy components by 25%. Those goods are currently subject to 25% Section 301 tariffs. The bill also would require that tariff rate to rise by 5 percentage points each year, for five years, until it reaches 50%.
A bipartisan bill has been introduced that would set country-by-country de minimis levels, instruct the administration to reconsider U.S. tariffs "with the focus on the principle of reciprocity" for most favored nation rates, and open a dialogue with Mexico and Canada on allowing Costa Rica and Uruguay to join USMCA.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Feb. 26 - March 3:
CBP has released its March 6 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 58, No. 9). While it contains recent court decisions, no customs rulings are included.
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website March 5, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADCVD Search page.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Both co-sponsors of a bill to restrict Chinese goods from de minimis eligibility said that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who has the power to advance the bill, is interested in marking up the bill.
CBP has “cleared” its long-awaited proposed rule on low value shipments, and the proposal will now go to the Office of Management and Budget for review, acting Commissioner Troy Miller said at a Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee meeting March 6. If OMB declares the rule “significant,” the proposal will then go for interagency review prior to publication in the Federal Register, Miller said.