USTR

Two House republicans on Thursday introduced a bill that would mandate the president provide 48 hours’ notice before any tariff changes take effect. The “ Reviewing Economic and Protection Objectives for Reciprocal Tariffs Act ” would require that the president give public notice of “any increase or decrease in a duty” under laws authorizing such changes on “an emergency or discretionary basis,” the bill reads. The notice must be posted to the Federal Register and include “a detailed justification” for...

A bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers are backing a bill that would codify the Agriculture Department’s ability to negotiate “regionalization” agreements designed to ensure continued exports of animal products from regions unaffected by disease outbreaks. The “ Safe American Food Exports Act of 2025 ,” would authorize USDA, in consultation with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, to negotiate “regionalization, zoning, compartmentalization, and other agreements” covering animal disease threats of “trade significance” with countries that import U.S...

A port fee regime announced earlier this month by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative could lead to costs upward of $1.25 million per voyage to the U.S. for Chinese vessel operators, according to a new analysis by the World Shipping Council. USTR on April 17 unveiled new fees on Chinese-operated and Chinese-operated vessels based on their net tonnage as well as a fee on foreign-built car carriers, among other actions stemming from an investigation into Chinese practices in...