Central America-Dominican Republic

USTR recommends steep tariffs, suspension of Nicaragua’s CAFTA-DR benefits

Citing concerns about labor and human rights violations and other “unreasonable” policies pursued by the Nicaraguan government, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is recommending steep new tariffs on goods from Nicaragua and the suspension of benefits provided to the country under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement. In its report on an investigation into the country’s practices , which was opened by the Biden administration last year and conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of...

Guatemala seeks return to CAFTA terms in talks with Trump administration

Guatemala views the reestablishment of Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement protections as critical for several industry sectors to regain parity with Mexican exporters that have been able to avoid many new U.S. tariffs through exclusions for goods produced under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a prominent academic economist in the country says. “We got the 10 percent tariffs, and the Mexicans got nothing. And in many of our main exports, we compete … head-to-head with Mexico,” Hugo Maul, a professor of...

Nicaraguan activists to USTR: Ortega regime abuses undermine trade

Repressive actions by the Nicaraguan government have direct impacts on U.S. trade and investment, particularly in key export sectors like agriculture and mining, activists from the country told officials in Washington last week. During a Jan. 16 hearing held by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, exiled political dissidents and representatives for various civil society groups, among others, attested to wide-ranging abuses by the Nicaraguan government, led by presidential couple Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, and their implications for...

Senate Finance leaders criticize USTR for lack of consultations on ISDS talks

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has failed to consult sufficiently with Congress about its talks on investor-state dispute settlement with a handful of trading partners in the Americas, the leaders of the Senate Finance Committee charged on Wednesday – though USTR insists it has done so beyond what is required. In a Jan. 14 letter to President Biden, Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-ID), ranking member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and 16 other senators criticized what they called a “lack...

Trade deals, tariff threats, migration in the mix for Latin America once Trump is back

The Trump administration in 2025 could overhaul the U.S. approach to trade with Latin America by striking and updating free trade deals in the region while leveraging tariff threats to curb migration, analysts tell Inside U.S. Trade . A new year and a new administration offer boundless opportunities for the U.S. to expand trade in the region, though the administration could introduce some trade irritants that complicate ties, they say President-elect Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of 10 to...

Trump names Claver-Carone ‘special envoy’ to Latin America

President-elect Trump on Sunday tapped a former senior adviser to serve as special envoy to Latin America. In a Dec. 22 post on Truth Social, Trump said Mauricio Claver-Carone knows “how to put America’s interests FIRST.” During the first Trump administration, Claver-Carone worked as a deputy assistant to the president and as senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council. He is a managing partner at the Latin America Real Assets Opportunity Fund , a U.S.-based private...

Textile group urges caution in Section 301 probe of Nicaragua’s labor, human rights practices

A new investigation into Nicaragua’s labor and human rights practices risks jeopardizing U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement textile trade, the head of a prominent industry group is warning, calling on the U.S. to be cautious in responding to the probe’s findings. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Tuesday announced it was launching an investigation into alleged human and labor rights abuses in Nicaragua under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. It is seeking public feedback on...

U.S., Guatemala announce ‘trade capacity’ textiles program

The U.S. and Guatemala will launch a “trade capacity” program focused on securing trade in textiles, the White House announced on Monday. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will steer the effort to advance “secure trade in textiles and apparel” between the U.S. and Guatemala by encouraging engagement in “existing government-to-industry stakeholder partnerships such as CBP’s Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Program and the Superintendence of Tax Administration of Guatemala’s Authorized Economic Operator...

House Democrats call for an end to CAFTA-DR's investor-state dispute provisions

The U.S. must remove investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms from the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement and other trade deals in the region, nearly 50 House Democrats said last week. In a March 21 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a group of 47 House lawmakers called for the officials to work with CAFTA-DR partners to remove the agreement’s ISDS mechanism, arguing it facilitates “harmful corporate overreach in emerging economies.” “While there is...

Stakeholders: Sugar TRQ reform would bring some benefits, modest price relief

Editor's note: This story was updated after initial publication to correct the dollar amounts cited for sugar industry campaign contributions. The U.S. sugar industry is receptive to efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of the method used to allocate tariff-rate quotas for sugar imports, it tells Inside U.S. Trade , contending that reform could improve supply chain efficiency -- but price relief for consumers might be marginal. In an Oct. 31 report , the Government Accountability Office recommended that the...

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Central America-Dominican Republic

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