President Donald Trump announced on June 15, 2018, that the United States would implement a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of goods from China "that contain industrially significant technologies." The imposition of...more
6/19/2018
/ China ,
Imports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
• President Donald Trump has issued a new Executive Order expanding existing sanctions against the government of Venezuela and its instrumentalities, including the state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PdVSA).
...more
• The United States is withdrawing from the multilateral nuclear accord with Iran known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• The U.S. sanctions waived by President Barack Obama under the JCPOA will be...more
The Trump Administration rounded out the year with two sanctions-related actions: The first involved creating a new program regarding human rights abusers and global corruption; the second involved adding several individuals...more
1/3/2018
/ Bad Actors ,
Corruption ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Human Rights ,
Magnitsky Act ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration
• The U.S. Department of State issued public guidance on sanctions with respect to 39 named entities related to Russia's defense and intelligence sectors. This guidance is issued under Section 231 of the Countering America's...more
11/10/2017
/ Arctic Drilling ,
CAATSA ,
Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
New Guidance ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Russia ,
Secretary of State ,
Secretary of the Treasury ,
Shale Gas ,
SSI List ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State
On July 20, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $2 million civil monetary penalty against Exxon Mobil Corp., including its U.S. subsidiaries ExxonMobil Development...more
8/3/2017
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Due Process ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Fifth Amendment ,
Fines ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Reckless Disregard ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
SDN List ,
Ukraine
The era of globalization may not be over, but the post-World War II global trading regime is undergoing a period of stress last seen during the demise of the Bretton Woods exchange mechanism in the early 1970s.
I. General...more
6/19/2017
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Asia Pacific ,
Bilateral Agreements ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Countervailing Duties ,
EFTA ,
EU ,
Foreign Investment ,
Globalization ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
NAFTA ,
Protectionism ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trade Policy ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
TTIP ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK Brexit ,
WTO
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on May 23, 2017, issued a notice requesting comments from private industry and other interested parties on upcoming negotiations regarding the North American Free Trade...more
"My Administration will follow two simple rules: Buy American, and hire American.” - President Donald J. Trump. -
Fulfilling a prominent campaign promise, today President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) detailing...more
4/19/2017
/ Buy America ,
Buy American Act ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
H-1B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Trade Agreements Act ,
Trump Administration ,
USTR
Before leaving office, former President Barack Obama signed Executive Order (E.O.) 13761 on Jan. 13, 2017, in response to "positive actions" by the Government of Sudan. E.O. 13761 establishes a basis for complete revocation...more
1/27/2017
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Aircraft ,
Airlines ,
Barack Obama ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
Imports ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Railroads ,
Revocation ,
Sudan ,
Technology
President Barack Obama amended Executive Order (EO) 13964 on December 29, 2016, in response to intelligence community findings that the Russian government engaged in malicious cyber activity with respect to the U.S. electoral...more
1/9/2017
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
FBI ,
Hackers ,
Malware ,
Obama Administration ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Presidential Elections ,
Russia ,
SDN List
Jan. 16, 2016, marked a significant milestone ("Implementation Day") as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran had fulfilled its nuclear-related obligations under the landmark Joint Comprehensive...more
The Obama Administration formally notified Congress on Nov. 5, 2015, of its intent to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a significant free trade agreement involving some of the U.S.’ largest economic partners,...more
The U.S. and its 11 negotiating partners – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam – reached preliminary agreement on October 5, 2015, on the Trans-Pacific...more
10/26/2015
/ Automotive Industry ,
Biologics ,
Biotechnology ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Chrysler ,
Country of Origin ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Data Protection ,
E-Commerce ,
Environmental Policies ,
Financial Institutions ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Ford Motor ,
General Motors ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
NAFTA ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Recent congressional action regarding Inverted Domestic Corporations (IDC) may lead to further limitations on the ability of IDCs to contract with the federal government. Starting with the 2002 legislation that established...more
Although the BE-13 requirements for foreign companies investing in the United States should be old news by now, there are an increasing number of questions on this issue. The new regulations were put in place in 2014, and...more
A pre-release of the revised regulations from the U.S. Treasury Department, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) identifies the extensive changes in...more
On Dec. 17, 2014, President Obama announced the United States will re-establish normal diplomatic relations with Cuba and that certain economic sanctions will be eased. Notwithstanding the media frenzy implying that the...more
International Trade Partner Ron Oleynik and Public Affairs Advisor Paolo Mastrangelo succinctly explain the due diligence process for companies with conflict minerals in their products and the need for transparency in their...more
Pursuant to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the U.S. Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) has issued a revised Statement of Registration (DS-2032) form and now allows it to be...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently approved the much debated "conflict minerals" due diligence disclosure rules originally developed in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act of 2010. The rules, which were...more
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a request for public comment regarding a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute with Argentina. The United States, along with other trading partners such as Japan and...more