On January 5, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued guidance via its Cargo Systems Messaging Service announcing new thresholds for deactivating Section 232 steel and aluminum product exclusions prior to reaching 100% of the allocated quantity under any granted exclusion. CBP has announced that effective February 15, 2024, for certain types of Section
Tariffs/Trade Policy
U.S. International Trade Commission Releases 2024 Harmonized Tariff Schedule Basic Edition
The U.S. International Trade Commission released the 2024 Basic Edition of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) on January 1, 2024.
The HTSUS sets out the tariff rates and statistical categories for all merchandise imported into the United States and is based on the international Harmonized System, which is the global system…
President Biden Expands U.S. Sanctions on Russia by Authorizing Additional Prohibitions on Imports of Russian Seafood and Diamonds
On December 22, 2023, President Joseph Biden amended, among other things, Executive Order (EO) 14068, by additionally authorizing the prohibition on the importation and entry into the United States, including a foreign trade zone located in the United States, of the following products of Russian Federation origin: fish, seafood, and preparations thereof, as well…
EU Suspends Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Imports and U.S. Extends TRQs on Imports of EU Steel and Aluminum as Bilateral Negotiations Continue
The temporary trade truce between the United States and European Union (EU) will continue after the EU issued a press release on December 19, 2023 announcing the customs union would suspend the reimposition of certain retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports until March 31, 2025. The EU’s retaliatory tariffs, which were scheduled to resume January 1…
USTR Again Extends Certain China Section 301 Product Exclusions
On December 29, 2023, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a Federal Register notice further extending certain China-related Section 301 product exclusions through May 31, 2024. This action extends 352 exclusions previously reinstated in December 2022 through September 30, 2023, and 77 COVID-related exclusions previously extended in May 2023 through September 30…
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Section 232 Steel Appeal
On October 30, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear another Section 232 national security steel tariff appeal. On July 21, 2023, PrimeSource Building Products, Inc. filed Petition for a Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the lower court decision of…
USTR Extends Certain China Section 301 Product Exclusions
On September 6, 2023, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a notice that it was extending certain China-related Section 301 product exclusions until December 31, 2023. This action extends 352 exclusions previously reinstated in December 2022 through September 30, 2023, and 77 COVID-related exclusions previously extended in May 2023 through September 30…
BIS Proposes Changes to the Section 232 Imported Steel and Aluminum Product Exclusion Process
On August 28, 2023, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a proposed rule to revise the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariff exclusion process. The proposed rule responds to public comments received in response to BIS’s February 2022 Request for Public Comments. By proposing further revisions to the exclusion request process, BIS…
WTO Rules China’s Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Imports Inconsistent with International Trade Agreements
In a landmark ruling on August 16, 2023, the World Trade Organization (WTO) determined that the retaliatory tariffs imposed by China on U.S. imports in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs were inconsistent with international trade rules. The decision marks a significant moment in the long-standing trade dispute between the two major economic powers.
Petitioner Seeks U.S. Supreme Court Review of Decision Allowing Section 232 Tariffs on Steel Derivatives
On July 21, 2023, PrimeSource Building Products, Inc. filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, after unsuccessfully seeking an en banc hearing before all of the judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In that decision, a three-judge panel reversed a lower court decision and…

