President Donald Trump posted on social media that a new round of tariffs will begin Oct. 1, on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, upholstered furniture, brand-name pharmaceuticals and heavy trucks. He said the tariffs on cabinets and vanities, furniture and heavy trucks are for national security purposes.
Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, who recently led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Ukraine, Poland and Germany, called on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Sept. 24 to schedule a House floor vote on the proposed Sanctioning Russia Act, which would impose additional sanctions on Russia and new tariffs on countries that buy its oil and gas.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., released a letter she sent Sept. 24 to Rolex CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour, asking him whether he used Rolex's luxury box at the U.S. Open Tennis Championship as a venue to lobby President Donald Trump and his staff about exempting luxury watches from 39% reciprocal tariffs on Swiss exports.
President Donald Trump said that he'll meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva next week after defending his tariffs on Brazil at the United Nations General Assembly.
Three Democrats and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., introduced a bill to end tariffs on imported coffee, and return them to the duty-free status they had before the administration imposed 10% tariffs on Colombia, 50% tariffs on Brazil, and 20% tariffs on Vietnam.
The U.S. filed its opening brief at the Supreme Court on Sept. 19 in the lead cases on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the reciprocal tariffs and tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico meant to stop the flow of fentanyl are a valid exercise of IEEPA, adding that the tariffs are a proper expression of presidential policymaking in emergency situations.
Several House Republicans changed their votes so that a move to block votes on emergency tariffs could succeed after being promised a Republican tariff working group (see 2509170048).
The Supreme Court set oral argument for the lead cases on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for Nov. 5 (Donald J. Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, U.S. 25-250) (Learning Resources v. Donald J. Trump, U.S. 24-1287).
The end of the de minimis exemption could favor larger importers that are able to handle the additional data requirements while maintaining fast deliveries to consumers, according to Vince Iacopella, president of trade and government relations for Alba Wheels Up.
The standing up by DOJ of the Trade Fraud Task Force indicates the Trump administration is pouring significantly more resources and attention into prosecuting tariff evasion and customs fraud, and will use the various criminal and civil enforcement tools at their disposal, various attorneys said.