On May 5, 2022, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) announced the initiation of a general factfinding investigation that will examine the impact of tariffs on U.S. imports under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 in effect as of March 15, 2022. The ITC was directed to conduct this investigation, Economic Impact of Section 232 and 301 Tariffs on U.S. Industries, Inv. 332-591, as part of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, which was signed into law on March 15, 2022. As a result, all currently active Section 232 national security tariffs (e.g., steel and aluminum tariffs) and the Section 301 tariffs against imports from China will be subject to review and the ITC will prepare a report on the impact of these tariffs on U.S. trade, production, and prices in the industries most affected by these tariffs. If the tariffs change between now and the report’s submission, the analysis will only cover how the economy was affected by the tariffs that were in place as of March 2022. The ITC must submit this report to Congress by March 15, 2023.
In preparing the report, the ITC will seek public comments and hold a hearing. Key dates for the investigation include:
- July 6, 2022: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the public hearing.
- July 8, 2022: Deadline for filing prehearing briefs and statements.
- July 14, 2022: Deadline for filing electronic copies of oral hearing statements.
- July 21, 2022: Public hearing. Information about the hearing, including how to participate or observe, will be posted on the ITC’s website no later than June 21, 2022, at https://usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/what_we_are_working_on.htm.
- August 12, 2022: Deadline for filing posthearing briefs and statements.
- August 24, 2022: Deadline for filing all other written submissions.
Currently, because the ITC’s Office of the Secretary is accepting only electronic filings, the filing of any documents in this investigation must be made through the ITC’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted. Procedures are available for filing confidential business information; however, while it will be considered, no confidential information will be included in the final report to Congress.