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

Congress

  • After 43 days of halted operations, the United States federal government reopened on November 12, 2025. The funding bill, approved by the Senate on November 10 and by the House later that day. The bill funds most government operations through January 30, 2026.
  • U.S. House Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the House Select Committee on China, wrote a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick asking a series of pointed questions about the Administration’s decision to resume chip exports from Nexperia’s China factory.
  • All members of Arkansas’ Congressional delegation sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The letter urges the agency to delay implementation of the new U.S.-EU trade deal until the EU revises its deforestation reporting requirements, claiming the requirements would harm American timber exports.

Administration 

  • President Trump announced trade deals with El Salvador, Argentina, Ecuador, and Guatemala. As part of the deal, the U.S. is eliminating 15% tariffs on Ecuadoran bananas and cocoa, and 10% tariffs on Guatemalan coffee and Argentinian beef.
  • In an interview with Fox News, President Trump said that there will be upcoming “surgical” reductions to reciprocal tariffs. When asked about the comment, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Administration would be making announcements soon on reducing tariffs on items such as coffee, bananas, and other fruit. 
  • President Trump posted on Truth Social that the Administration would be giving dividends of $2,000 to Americans from the revenues collected from his tariff policy.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • CBP announced a new opportunity for retired Border Patrol Agents and Officers to rejoin the agency. Retired employees can now return to duty, earn full pay, and keep retirement benefits.
  • Via a cargo systems message, CBP reminded industry that it plans to enforce validations to e214 submissions and foreign-trade zone admission transactions in ACE starting December 11.
  • CBP announced that the agency is taking steps to automate the broker license applications. Starting November 14, applicants must complete all applications and pay fees through the eCBP portal. 
  • CBP provided an update on the tariff rates for products from China subject to the IEEPA fentanyl and reciprocal tariffs effective November 10.

Court of International Trade (CIT)

  • The CIT granted default judgment against importer Rago Tires for negligence in importing tires by not declaring the goods as subject to Chinese AD/CV duties. The judge ordered Rago to pay a $14,108.87 penalty.

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)

  • A federal jury convicted a New York fiber laser expert of two counts of economic espionage and one count of theft of trade secrets for stealing sensitive defense research from his employer and attempting to share it with China.

Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

  • Importers continue to experience FDA delays in processing imports. The slowdown was driven by a combination of factors: the government shutdown, the transition from a regional to a national processing program, and increased scrutiny of imported products subject to import alerts. Via International Trade Today.

Department of the Interior (DOI)

  • The DOI released its final 2025 list of critical minerals, adding ten additional minerals to the list. These minerals could become subject to Section 232 tariffs, depending on the outcome of BIS’s critical mineral investigation.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

  • A new G20 report by the WTO reveals that the surge in new tariffs came with measures to increase trade. Trade covered by tariffs in G20 economies increased about four times as much from mid-October 2024 to mid-October 2025 compared to the prior reporting period, marking the largest increase in the history of WTO trade monitoring.

International News

  • China announced the one-year suspension of export controls on certain key critical minerals and other dual-use items that were banned from being shipped to the U.S. for military uses.

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