USTR Proposes Section 301 Tariffs on Brazil
On June 1, 2026, the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) proposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (“Section 301”) to impose tariffs on imports of goods from Brazil due to Brazil’s practices involving digital trade and electronic payment services, unfair and preferential tariffs, anti-corruption enforcement
On June 1, 2026, President Trump issued a proclamation reducing tariff rates on certain agricultural equipment, mobile industrial equipment and machinery, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (“HVAC”) equipment under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (“Section 232”). In the same proclamation, President Trump also added aluminum lithographic plates and steel racks
On June 3, 2026, President Trump issued an executive order (“EO”) directing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) to reform many of its enforcement provisions. Titled “Strengthening Customs Enforcement,” the EO targets preventing the importation of unlawful and dangerous goods, tightening eligibility and identification requirements for importers of record (“IORs”), and ensuring compliance with Federal
In the latest developments regarding tariffs paid under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (“IEEPA”), the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has formally appealed the U.S. Court of International Trade’s (“CIT”) April 17, 2026, universal injunction ordering refunds to all importers to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“Federal Circuit”). The DOJ has
On June 2, 2026, the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) proposed tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (“Section 301”) on imports from 60 countries for their failure to enforce prohibitions related to forced labor. The USTR found that these failures are unreasonable and burden U.S. commerce. The proposed tariffs range from 10% to 12.5%, though they do contain several carveouts.
On June 1, 2026, President Trump issued a proclamation reducing tariff rates on certain agricultural equipment, mobile industrial equipment and machinery, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (“HVAC”) equipment under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (“Section 232”). In the same proclamation, President Trump also added aluminum lithographic plates and steel racks
On May 29, 2026, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced it initiated an investigation of Vietnam under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (“Section 301”) regarding the country’s intellectual property protection and enforcement.
The USTR had identified Vietnam as a “Priority Foreign Country” in its April 30, 2026 Special 301 Report
On May 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) indicated that it will appeal the U.S. Court of International Trade’s (“CIT”) universal injunction ordering U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) to reliquidate final entries (entries more than 90 days past liquidation) and refund duties paid under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (“IEEPA”) by
The Supreme Court’s unanimous May 28, 2026, decision in Flowers Foods, Inc. v. Brock significantly broadens the Federal Arbitration Act’s Section 1 transportation-worker exemption by holding that workers performing exclusively intrastate deliveries as part of a larger interstate supply chain qualify as “engaged in interstate commerce” and are therefore exempt from compelled arbitration—even when they
On May 27, 2026, following a closed-door conference in Euro-Notions Florida v. United States (CIT # 25-00595) (“Euro-Notions”), Judge Eaton issued two (2) orders which will require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) to explain the Government’s position on issuing IEEPA refunds for all entries, including those that have liquidated beyond the statutory reliquidation period