Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., introduced a bill this week to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling for beef, but unlike an earlier House bill (see 2308070018), his bill says the labeling must be in compliance with World Trade Organization rules.
Failure to maintain a "robust system" of submitting and monitoring their own Section 232 exclusions could cost importers millions of dollars in "duty savings opportunities," said a blog post from law firm Crowell & Moring Aug. 15. A new report from the Government Accountability Office that found more than $32 million in unpaid Section 232 duties on steel and aluminum because the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security and CBP hadn't detected that the exclusion had been filed (see 2307210064).
The Commerce Department on Aug. 15 published its quarterly update to its annual list of foreign government subsidies on imported articles of cheese subject to an in-quota rate of duty Jan. 1, 2023, through March 31, 2023. The agency again found that only Canada is providing subsidies, in the form of export assistance.
The Commerce, State and Labor departments highlighted South Sudan’s cattle industry as a forced labor risk in an updated business advisory released this week. The Labor Department said it has a “reasonable basis to believe” cattle sourced from the country is produced by “forced or indentured child labor,” calling the sector a “significant industry in South Sudan with potential to expose U.S. business and individuals to significant reputational and legal risks.”
The Federal Maritime Commission is investigating the Mediterranean Shipping Company for violating U.S. shipping regulations, including by using “overbroad” merchant clauses in its bills of lading, mishandling fees and failing to publish tariff rates. The agency may fine MSC if it determines the carrier violated the Shipping Act.
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security completed a round of interagency review for a final rule that could revise the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariff exclusions process. BIS sent the rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs June 27 (see 2306280016), and the rule was sent back Aug. 10 with some changes.
A bipartisan duo introduced a bill in the House that would not allow future Section 232 tariffs or quotas without congressional approval, and would give Congress the ability to end the current steel and aluminum tariffs and quotas.
CBP has released its Aug. 9 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 57, No. 31), which includes the following ruling action:
A bill that would end China's eligibility for most favored nation tariffs was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and the text was published Aug. 8. The bill has no co-sponsors.
Regulatory agencies involved in trade again added relatively few new rulemakings to their regulatory agendas for spring 2023, but FDA, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State Department all included new proposed rules or moved forward existing rulemakings that could affect imports.