On February 2, 2004, President Bush transmitted to Congress his fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget request. (FY 2005 is October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005.) President Bush has requested $40.2 billion for Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a 10% increase over the comparable FY 2004 budget.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has initiated a review to provide advice to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) concerning a petition filed under the "commercial availability" provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), and Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) on apparel of certain combed compact yarns. Written comments are due by February 13, 2004. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/27/04 news, 04012725, for BP summary of the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreement's (CITA's) related notice.) (ITC notice, dated 02/02/04, available at http://www.usitc.gov/332s/shortsup/332_458_001nl.pdf)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued messages on a number of antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty actions, many of which (marked by an * in the action column) were previously published in the Federal Register by the International Trade Administration (ITA) and summarized in International Trade Today.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued the preliminary results of the antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of pressure sensitive plastic tape from Italy.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice stating that it is postponing until no later than April 6, 2004 (from February 16, 2004) the preliminary antidumping (AD) duty determinations on light-walled rectangular pipe and tube from Mexico and Turkey.

The Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued a press release announcing that the DOT intends to begin a rulemaking process to launch a safety inspection program for intermodal container chassis.

The Coast Guard states that it has begun issuing violation notices for $10,000 penalties to those vessels and port facilities that have not submitted security plans required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a general notice announcing that it plans to conduct a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test of the Periodic Monthly Statement for deposit of estimated duties and fees.

On October 27, 2003, the State Department published a final rule that amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to indicate that exporters that are required to report shippers export information for U.S. Munitions List (USML) hardware must use the Automated Export System (AES).