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

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

  • CBP released the November 2024 monthly update. Highlights: 
    • Identified estimated duties of nearly $6.97 billion to be collected 
    • Stopped 669 shipments for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor 
    • Seized 1,532 shipments that contained counterfeit goods 
  • CBP issued a ruling stating that food that was denied entry but can be reconditioned to meet FDA requirements isn’t prohibited merchandise, so it isn’t eligible for a refund if it’s exported or destroyed. 
  • CBP officers in Louisville seized four shipments containing 962 pieces of counterfeit designer watches, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.  
  • CBP published updated draft Cargo Release CATAIR, draft Global Business Identifier Enrollment Create-Update, GBI Enrollment GO Status Notification, and GBI Condition Codes documents to its website. 

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) 

  • BIS imposed a $180,000 mitigated penalty against Indium Corporation for 11 exports of electronics manufacturing components to Russia. 

United States Trade Representative (USTR) 

  • A trade-dispute panel ruled in favor of USTR finding that Mexico’s restrictions on U.S. genetically modified corn exports violate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. 
  • USTR asked the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) to launch an investigation of the distributional effects of goods and services trade and trade policy on U.S. micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). 
  • USTR announced the initiation of an investigation regarding China’s acts, policies, and practices related to targeting of the semiconductor industry for dominance.  
  • USTR released its 2024 Report on the Implementation and Enforcement of Russia’s World Trade Organization (WTO) Commitments. 

Department of Justice (DoJ) 

  • The Justice Department released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update and clarify regulations issued under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The rule would make changes to key regulations, including those relating to the commercial exemption, the exemption for persons whose activities do not serve predominantly a foreign interest, and the exemption for persons qualified to practice law.  
  • Fruit juice manufacturing company and its former president plead guilty to food safety crimes. 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

  • The FDA issued a final rule revising the requirements for when the term “healthy” can be used as an implied nutrient content claim in the labeling of human food products. 
  • The FDA has posted an updated Supplemental Trade Guide making Intended Use Codes mandatory for several commodities including cosmetics. 
  • The FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a charter that details how the two agencies work together to determine the appropriate agency to regulate animal biologicals. 

Congress 

  • The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), issued the Commission’s 2024 annual report on human rights conditions and rule of law developments in the People’s Republic of China. The report provides a detailed account of China’s systematic abuses of human rights. 
  • A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Representatives introduced the Maritime Security Trust Fund Act, which would charge fees to Chinese-owned and Chinese-flagged ships visiting U.S. ports. 
  • A potential federal government shutdown, starting at 12 a.m. on Dec. 21, was averted Friday evening when Congress passed a bill to keep the federal government operating through March 14, 2025.  

Administration 

  • White House releases inaugural Quadrennial Supply Chain Review. Among other findings, the review found that the highest-risk industries include electronics, chemicals, and transportation. In many cases, vulnerability is driven by high levels of imports from risky countries, including China. 

Industry News 

  • The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted the nationwide injunction suspending the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). The deadline to file Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) as required under the act is now back in effect – January 1, 2025. 

Want more customs and international trade news? Sign up for our weekly snapshot!