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Grant Leach

Grant focuses his practice on international trade, international compliance, securities, mergers, acquisitions and general corporate matters.

On July 31, 2026, President Trump issued proclamation “To Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition From Imports of Quartz Surface Products,” introducing a tariff-rate quota (“TRQ”) that will go into effect on August 15, 2026 on imports of certain quartz surface products under Section 203 of the Trade Act. The action follows a recommendation from the International Trade Commission in May 2026, which found that increased import volumes of quartz are harming the domestic quartz industry.

On July 29, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) updated its Covered List to add two new categories of foreign-produced equipment: advanced robotic devices and power inverters. The move follows determinations by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with national security expertise, which found that these foreign-made products “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.” Notably, if applicable, these Covered List restrictions will apply to advanced robotic devices or power inverters produced in any country outside of the United States. 

On May 7, 2026, the United States Court of International Trade (“CIT” or “Court”) invalidated Proclamation No. 11012 in The State of Oregon, et al. v. United States, et al. and Burlap and Barrel, Inc., et al. v. United States, et al., holding that the President exceeded his statutory authority in imposing a temporary

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) has issued new guidance addressing technical corrections to recently imposed Section 232 duties on imports of aluminum, steel and copper.  Following a Notice of Technical Corrections issued by the Department of Commerce on April 29, 2026, CBP, on May 6, 2026, released CSMS #68554727 clarifying the application of these

On May 6, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) released new guidance via CSMS #68559236 regarding the application of 25% Section 232 duties for Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (“MHDVs”) that qualify for preferential treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”).  Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 10984, the Secretary of Commerce may approve eligible MHDVs to

On March 31, 2026, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued an advisory (the “Advisory”) regarding sham transactions and their use in evading US sanctions. OFAC described sham transactions as occurring when “blocked persons, often operating through proxies or other intermediaries, effectuate transfers or establish arrangements that conceal–rather than genuinely extinguish–a continuing interest in property.”

On Friday, February 21, 2025, President Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (“NSPM”) titled “America First Investment Policy” which directed multiple federal agencies to take action to further restrict foreign adversaries’ ability to invest in sensitive United States businesses and to further restrict United States outbound investments into China. The Trump Administration also issued a Fact Sheet to accompany the NSPM.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued new guidance to exporters intended to further assist BIS in its efforts to crack down on third-party diversion to Russia.

Specifically, BIS’s recent guidance outlines the various mechanisms it has employed—outside of its usual public screening lists (i.e., the Unverified List

On June 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued a Final Determination prohibiting the sale of certain cybersecurity products, anti-virus software, and related services to U.S. persons by Kaspersky Lab, Inc. (“Kaspersky”), the U.S. subsidiary of Russian cybersecurity provider AO Kaspersky Lab.

This Final Determination represents the first