Several fundamental conditions are widely presumed necessary for a country to enjoy the benefits of global trade. One condition is that import activity ought not exceed export activity.1 Put more simply, we must sell more...more
So, here we are post Liberation Day and investors have been liberated from over $6 trillion dollars U.S. just in the last week. These “reciprocal” tariffs were supposedly aimed at balancing trade with other countries, some of...more
President Donald Trump on April 2, 2025, issued an executive order (EO), "Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade...more
On April 2, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) imposing reciprocal tariffs on most nations. The new tariffs, which include a baseline rate of 10 percent as well as higher rates for dozens of trading...more
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking comments on the Trump Administration's "Fair and Reciprocal Plan" to assist it in identifying any unfair trade or non-reciprocal foreign trade practices. The deadline for...more
President Trump announced his Fair and Reciprocal Plan (the Plan) pursuant to his America First Trade Policy. While the Memorandum does not immediately create any new tariffs, it outlines the Trump administration's plan to...more
President Donald Trump issued a memorandum on reciprocal trade and tariffs on Feb. 13, 2025, citing the economic and national security threat posed by the trade deficit, as outlined in the Jan. 20, 2025, America First Trade...more
On Feb. 13, President Donald Trump issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to review all tariffs imposed on U.S. exports as well as other non-tariff trade barriers that...more
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) joint review process is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2026, but the time to prepare is now. Embedded trade compliance professionals should already be doing scenario...more
In this third installment of our five-part trade series, we review the Trump-Vance administration’s America First Trade Policy memorandum and detail the foundational elements for imposition of tariffs to prepare importers if...more
On January 20, 2025, within a few hours of his return to the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an “America First Trade Policy” memorandum, revealing the initial priorities of his trade agenda. Week one in the...more
Early this week, President Trump unveiled his “America First Trade Policy.” The policy, issued as a memorandum to his incoming senior trade and national security officials, offers insights into the new administration’s...more
The first two days of the new Trump administration were marked by pronouncements that portend short-run uncertainty about the tariff environment. Although President Trump’s past statements had led many people to expect he...more
The President’s memorandum does not implement tariffs or other immediate relief, but previews the statutory authorities that will guide future trade action. On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued a memorandum...more
Outlook for This Week in the Nation's Capital - Congress. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced last week that the full House of Representatives will vote this week on whether to hold Attorney General William Barr...more
U.S. to Give Eight Nations Oil Waivers Under Iran Sanctions, Official Says - "The U.S. has agreed to let eight countries - including Japan, India and South Korea - keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on the...more
Tariffs were a hot topic at this weekend’s G-7 meeting in Canada, and as we’ve seen over the past weeks, it was once again the US vs. the world....more
On July 17, 2017, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer released the Trump Administration’s objectives for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). An overarching objective for the...more
The Trump Administration's early actions on trade policy largely reflect the "America First" agenda candidate Trump promoted during the 2016 campaign. For example, a March Executive Order initiated efforts to identify and...more