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
On March 13, 2025, the State Department published a notice in the Federal Register designating all agency action with respect to international trade a “foreign affairs function” of the United States under the Administrative...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
KORUS Renegotiation Update - As we have reported previously, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer formally notified Korea in July that the U.S. requested a special Joint Committee meeting under the...more
As President Trump visits China, U.S. is investigating a longstanding issue in bilateral relationship—technology transfer/intellectual property requirements—that has potential implications for trade. U.S. business and...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
On July 17, 2017, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a report on U.S. goals to modify the current North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The report provides insight into the issues that will be...more
With U.S. Trade Representative Confirmation, NAFTA Renegotiations Are Underway - On May 11, 2017, the Senate confirmed Robert Lighthizer as United States Trade Representative (USTR) in an 82-14 vote. Despite bipartisan...more
On May 18, 2017, Commerce and USTR held a public hearing on U.S. Trade Deficits. The hearing was held in response to Executive Order 13786, issued by President Trump, which instructed the agencies to prepare and submit an...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
Public Comments And Hearing Regarding Administration Report On Significant Trade Deficits - On April 17, 2017, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International...more
On April 17, 2017, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (“Commerce”) published a Federal Register notice regarding a public...more