Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news:     

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

  • President-elect Trump has selected Rodney Scott as the next CBP Commissioner. 
  • CBP and the U.S. Chamber launched a “Shop Smart” campaign to urge holiday shoppers to beware of counterfeits.  
  • CBP agricultural specialists at the Dulles airport intercepted two dangerous insect pests – one not seen in 40 years.  
  • CBP officers seized a large cache of testosterone and other steroids at Laredo Port of Entry. 
  • CBP seized over 34K pounds of sweetened condensed milk at the Pharr International Bridge. 
  • Reminder: Brokers must earn 20 continuing education credits from qualifying educational activities that occur beginning January 1, 2025. 
  • CBP’s Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) held its quarterly public meeting on December 11. 

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) 

  • BIS added 8 entities to the Entity List for Enabling Human Rights Abuses. 
  • BIS released a report on U.S. companies’ use of legacy chips manufactured by entities based in China. 
  • BIS issued a final rule cementing the procedures it will follow in investigating foreign adversary threats to information and communications technology and services (ICTS) transactions that may harm U.S. national security. 
  • BIS is imposing new controls on certain dual-use and munitions items to or within Pakistan due to concerns that certain items are being sought by entities listed on the Entity List. 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

  • The Commerce Department issued a final rule making changes to antidumping and countervailing duty procedures including changes to the nonmarket economy policy. 

United States Trade Representative (USTR) 

  • USTR announced a Section 301 investigation on Nicaragua’s acts and policies related to labor rights, human rights, and the rule of law.  
  • USTR announced tariff increases under Section 301 for imports from China of certain tungsten products, wafers, and polysilicon. These increases will take effect on January 1, 2025. 
  • USTR announced that the first agreement under the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade will enter into force on December 10. This agreement includes commitments on anti-corruption, good regulatory practices, services domestic regulation, customs administration and trade facilitation, and small and medium-sized enterprises. 

Department of Justice (DoJ) 

  • Manager of U.S. freight forwarding company indicted for circumventing export controls. 
  • A Chinese national was indicted for conspiracy, wire fraud, smuggling, and a violation of the Arms Export Control Act for his role in an illegal scheme to send export-controlled defense-related technical data to China. 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

  • The FDA announced that, on January 1, 2025, the agency will open the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) application portal for fiscal year 2026. The application portal will remain open until September 1, 2025. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

  • Reminder: an updated USDA APHIS PGA message set implementation guide is now available. Changes went into effect December 10, 2024. 

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) 

  • The USITC has made affirmative determinations in its preliminary phase antidumping and countervailing duty investigations concerning Hard Empty Capsules from Brazil, China, India, and Vietnam. 

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) 

  • The FMC is closing one of its two investigations of how Canadian ballast water regulations impact shipping in the Great Lakes. The remaining investigation will continue to permit the agency to assess if Canadian government policies create unfavorable conditions affecting U.S. flagged vessels operating in the U.S.-Canada trade. 
  • FMC announced that the Premier Alliance Agreement will not go into effect next week because more information is needed for the agency to determine the potential competitive impacts of the arrangement.  

 Congress 

  • Senator Rick Scott of Floria wrote a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai asking the agency to open a Section 301 trade investigation on Chinese garlic growers, arguing that the industry is using forced labor. 
  • Text of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 was released, without inclusion of de minimis legislation. The NDAA was one of the last chances to pass de minimis before the end of the Congress, making its ultimate passage unlikely. 

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