USMCA

With the administration's desire to address root causes for migration from Central American countries, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the free trade agreement that covers that region, and the Dominican Republic, has been “very much on my mind recently.”

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai heard many bipartisan complaints about the pain of both Section 301 tariffs and Europe's retaliatory tariffs in response to steel tariffs, but stood her ground on both during a hearing in front of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated April 16. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP:

At a time when hurricane damage, violence and poverty are driving more Central Americans to the U.S., consultants, advocates and former diplomats say the Central America Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, needs changes to spur development in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Those Northern Triangle countries are the ones sending large numbers of asylum seekers to the U.S. in the last few years. Kellie Meiman Hock, a McLarty Associates managing partner who led the April 14 panel hosted by the Washington International Trade Association, noted that when CAFTA was ratified more than 15 years ago, the hope was that it would bring more economic development to Central America. But instead, trade from the region has been flat.

Former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is listed as one of many advisers to the Advancing American Freedom issue advocacy group. The group is led by former Vice President Mike Pence. The group is arguing on behalf of pro-life policies, including the right of medical workers to avoid abortion-related care; taxpayer subsidies for private and religious schools through locally run programs or tax-advantaged savings plans; finishing the border wall; arguing against returning to the Iran nuclear deal; and pushing for other trade deals like USMCA.

The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated March 31. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP:

International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from March 22-26 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

CBP's consideration of the value that would be added with continuing education for customs brokers requirements remains a “work in progress,” said Brenda Smith, CBP executive assistant commissioner-trade, during a March 25 call with reporters. Smith, whose last day before retirement is March 26 (see 2103170057), said CBP received “a lot of comments” and “across the board, there were a number of concerns that were raised that we are going to have to think through whether the value of requiring continuing professional education outweighs” the costs. “We've got some good insight into how we could analyze those costs and benefits,” she said.

Advocates for seasonal workers in the U.S., on farms and in other settings, are asking the Mexican government to use USMCA's labor chapter to bring a case on gender-based discrimination in those programs. The Center for Migrant Rights announced the complaint March 23, which says that farms and other businesses prefer to recruit men, which is proven by the fact that 97% of H2A visas go to men, and 87% of H2B visas go to men. Even when women are hired, they are assigned to lower-paid positions, such as packing, rather than field work, the complaint said.

The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated March 23. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP: