If you have been thinking about filing a Product Exclusion request for the products covered by Tranche 3 of the China tariffs, don’t wait too long.  The deadline to file is Monday, September 30th.  So far more than 15,000 exclusion requests have been filed with USTR.  More than 550 requests were posted to the USTR website yesterday.  Don’t forget that all USFIA members have access to a webinar about the Product Exclusion process if you have questions.  Or email us at USFIA – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Now that Congress is back to work, there is some new momentum for consideration of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.  On Wednesday the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative sent the House Democratic working group a formal counterproposal to resolve key issues in the text.  While we do not yet know what is in the USTR proposal, the talks between House Democrats and the Administration focused on four key areas:   labor, access to medicines, environment and enforcement. 
 
If you are interested in more details, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) released a seven-page memo that explains the Democrats’ key concerns about the USMCA text.  The big question is whether or not the Administration and the Democrats can reach an agreement.  If yes, watch for the USMCA vote this fall.  If no, then the trade deal may become one more contentious issue for debate.  

Last night, President Trump announced via Twitter that the U.S. will delay the October 1 tariff increase for Lists 1 – 3 from 25 percent to 30 percent until October 15 as a “gesture of good will.”  Trade negotiations with senior officials are scheduled to resume in October, though no dates have been announced. 

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate approved S. 178, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act. The bill marks an important step in addressing the Uyghur human rights crisis. The bipartisan legislation encourages high-level U.S. engagement on the issue, requires reporting on the issue by the Administration, and implements a series of actions to hold the Chinese government and Communist Party officials accountable for human rights abuses in Xinjiang.  One provision would require companies doing business in Zinjiang to include language in public or financial filings that their activities are not contributing to human rights violations in China, and their supply chains are not compromised by forced labor.