The trade aid was too generous to the richest farming families, suggests Rep. Ron Kind, a Democrat who represents a rural district in Wisconsin. Kind sent a letter Aug. 12 to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue saying he is deeply concerned about a report that shows that thousands of payments were larger than the stated limit, with 82 farms receiving payments of more than half a million dollars in taxpayer funds. He also cited the same study using U.S. Department of Agriculture data that found some payments went to people who do not reside on farms, but live in Manhattan, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and the like.
The International Chamber of Commerce is preparing to eliminate the Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) rule in its September publishing of revised incoterms, requiring e-commerce traders to update contracts with third-party providers, according to a recent report from PircewaterhouseCoopers. Incoterms (international commercial terms) are internationally recognized trade terms used in global trade contracts.
The State Department approved a potential sale to South Korea of about $800 million worth of defense-related goods, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in an Aug. 7 press release. The sale includes MH-60R helicopters equipped with radars, sonar systems, targeting systems, GPS navigation systems, guns and more, the press release said. The sale also includes radios, transponders, personnel training and U.S. support services.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls changed identifying information for Hitachi Kokusai Yagi Solutions Inc. and Sogeti España, S.L.U. and is waiving the requirement for amendments to change approved license authorizations because of the “volume of authorizations requiring amendments to reflect this change,” in each instance, the DDTC said. Hitachi Kokusai Yagi Solutions Inc. is being changed to HYS Engineering Service Inc. with a new address of 32, Miyuki-cho, Kadaira-shi, Tokyo, 187-8511, Japan, the DDTC said. Sogeti España, S.L.U. is being changed to CapGemini España, S.L. The DDTC said the amendment waiver does not apply to approved or pending agreements. The DDTC will not accept license applications with the old name Hitachi Kokusai Yagi Solutions after Sep. 6 and will not accept applications with the old name Sogeti España after Aug. 19, the agency said.
The Trump administration has “done virtually nothing to support exports,” failing to open new foreign markets for U.S. sellers while also tightening export controls, according to an Aug. 2 report by the Peterson Institute for International Economics. At the same time, U.S. export growth has “dropped sharply,” the report said. “Unless the president reverses course, his trade policy will continue to weaken rather than strengthen the US economy as well as undermine the global trading system,” the report said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its 2018 U.S. Specialty Crops Trade Issues Report on July 31, detailing challenges and barriers faced by certain U.S. exports. Among the challenges, USDA said, are a rise in foreign “food safety measures” that “unfairly restrict market access” for U.S. exporters. USDA said the strict measures set “new, excessively low pesticide residue standards or maximum residue limits” for food exports, which are lower than U.S. requirements and are keeping U.S. crops from being imported into certain markets. “Such measures can be used as trade barriers designed to limit U.S. agricultural exports that compete with domestic production in foreign markets,” the report said.
The mayor of Chicago told the Chicago Sun Times July 22 that she asked Marriott if the CBP Trade Symposium could be moved out of Chicago. “When it became clear that Marriott was unable to accommodate our demand, I mobilized city resources to facilitate the peaceful protest against the conference, ensure the protection of First Amendment rights and to safeguard all guests and visitors on the McCormick Place campus," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. A rally staged by immigrant rights groups was held outside the conference hotel at 11:30 a.m. local time July 23, ahead of when Department of Homeland Security Acting Director Kevin McAleenan was scheduled to give a luncheon keynote address.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving $100 million to 48 trade associations and organizations in an effort to help U.S. agriculture exporters find new markets, the USDA said in a July 19 press release. Representatives from the U.S. agricultural industry have repeatedly told Congress that the U.S. trade war with China and the delay in ratifying the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement are significantly hurting U.S. exports. Some fear they will not be able to regain certain export markets in China. Others said trade mitigation programs are not the solution (see 1905290041).
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls issued a July 17 notice saying that Access Certificates for Electronic Services (ACES) certificates are required to “access the DTrade defense export licensing system.” The DDTC said all ACES certificates “must expire” before Aug. 1, 2020, and that the ACES provider, IdenTrust, will continue to issue certificates if they are “posted with an expiration date” of July 31, 2020, or earlier. “If you purchase an ACES certificate after July 31st, 2019, the validity period will be truncated to less than a full year,” the DDTC said. Questions about the ACES transition should be directed to IdenTrust at Support@IdenTrust.com or to the DDTC’s help desk at dtradehelpdesk@state.gov.
The Drug Enforcement Administration will temporarily list the synthetic cathinones N-ethylhexedrone, α-PHP, 4-MEAP, MPHP, PV8, and 4-chloro-α-PVP in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice. The chemical will be subject to import and export restrictions for schedule I substances. The agency can temporarily list controlled substances for up to three years before a permanent listing is required.