Every Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee told U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that while they want changes to USMCA as part of the six-year review of the pact, he should make clear that the U.S. plans to keep the trilateral free trade agreement, and that he is committed to "a durable, mutually beneficial relationship with our partners that ensures the gains from trade are shared broadly both within and across our North American markets."
CBP issued the following releases on commercial and trade related matters:
CBP has released its May 13 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 60, No. 8), which includes the following ruling actions:
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer declined to mention specific products he'd like to facilitate importing from China following talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but expanded the scope beyond what both he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously said.
The Commerce Department is setting procedures for manufacturers claiming tariff offsets for medium- and heavy-duty truck (MHDV) parts, though the offsets won’t currently apply to buses or to auto and truck engines, the agency said in a notice published May 15.
China's purchases of American cotton declined 87% last year, wrote Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, as he and 11 other House of Representatives members from cotton-growing states asked the U.S. trade representative to press China to eliminate its 10% tariff on U.S. cotton and make purchase promises, as it did in the phase one deal made in Trump's first term.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the administration will solicit comments on which types of "non-sensitive goods" should get tariff relief, so that trade can be facilitated between the U.S. and China.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the Board of Trade that the U.S. has discussed establishing is aimed at identifying $30 billion worth of Chinese imports of "things that the U.S. doesn’t want to make that we’re never going to reshore," and removing the tariffs from those goods. Bessent gave examples of fireworks "or very low-end consumer goods."
Judge Richard Eaton, in a summary of a closed conference between CBP and the company representing those who are owed refunds of tariffs paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, wrote that CBP is in contact with representatives of customs bond companies on their refund claims. In some cases, importers of record didn't have the money to pay those duties, so sureties stepped in and paid up to the bond coverage.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America learned from CBP that if an entry has an error that CAPE identified, and the entry is outside the post-summary correction filing window of 300 days or 15 days ahead of scheduled liquidation, those entries cannot receive refunds in this phase of CAPE, the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries tool dedicated to International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariff refunds.