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The House of Representatives passed on January 16, 2018 a bill providing temporary duty relief on about 1,800 imported products that are not available or produced in the United States.  The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act of 2017 sailed through the chamber with a 402-0 vote, signaling overwhelmingly strong bipartisan support and proving there are still some things politicians can agree on.

The bill is the first product of a new process established through the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016, which codified elements of the previous Congressional-led process. Among other things, the Act also tasked the non-partisan U.S. International Trade Commission with reviewing petitions for consistency against statutory criteria, coordinating an inter-agency …
Continue Reading House Passes Unanimous Duty Suspension Bill Loading Bases for Senate Grand Slam

The House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee held a hearing on October 25th to discuss the new Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Process – overseen by the U.S. International Trade Commission with input from other federal agencies – to reduce temporarily tariffs on products not made in the United States.  The largely non-controversial hearing was a first step toward paving the way for Congressional consideration of a bill by the end of the year to implement recommendations made by the ITC in its final MTB report issued in August.  Action on the bill in the Senate Finance Committee is anticipated next.
Continue Reading Congress Presses-On for Temporary Tariff Relief on Non-U.S. Made Goods by Year’s End

Last year, President Obama signed into law the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (“TFTEA”).  Section 421 of the TFTEA (commonly called the Enforce and Protect Act, or EAPA), establishes procedures for submitting and investigating allegations of evasion of antidumping and countervailing duties.

The statute encouraged a wide variety of stakeholders to participate in this new administrative process.  For example, the statute defined “interested parties” who may file an allegation of evasion to include foreign exporters and producers, importers, and domestic manufacturers and wholesalers, of products covered by antidumping and countervailing duty orders.  Indeed, interested parties on all sides of the trade equation who play by the rules have an incentive to participate in the CBP’s evasion investigations. …
Continue Reading Combating Evasion of Duties Front and Center