Spencer Toubia

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On February 11, 2021, the Biden Administration decided not to increase tariffs against the European Union. In a Federal Register notice released today (Feb 12th), the Administration announced that “The U.S. Trade Representative together with the affected United States industry have agreed that it is unnecessary at this time to revise the action…

On February 8, 2021, a WTO dispute resolution panel notified parties that it would delay it’s ruling on the United States’ Section 232 tariffs until the second half of 2021. The tariffs, which were imposed on the basis of national security, received complaints from China, India, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the European Union. The…

Today, (Feb 4), a three-judge panel at the CIT issued a unanimous decision to uphold Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum based on national security concerns. The tariffs, which were imposed in 2018, were for 25% duties on steel and 10% duties on aluminum. The CIT held that the tariffs did not violate Section…

Today (Feb. 3), President Biden’s Section 232 Proclamation on aluminum imports from the UAE goes into effect. Proclamation 10139 reverses President Trump’s last minute decision to remove tariffs on aluminum from the UAE in favor of a quota system.

For more information on Section 232 please contact John Brew, Frances P. Hadfield, Spencer …

On January 27, 2021, Stavros Lambrinidis, the European Union’s ambassador to the United States, urged the Biden administration to lift Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum and work to find a resolution to the U.S.-EU aircraft subsidy dispute. The statement is the most recent in a chorus of comments calling for increased transatlantic cooperation.…

On Sunday April 19th, President Trump issued an Executive Order using the National Emergency Authority to temporarily extend deadlines for certain estimated payments of import tariffs. Simultaneously with the Presidential Proclamation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued instructions and guidelines in a CSMS bulletin titled “90 Day Postponement of Payment for…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking comments to remove Section 301 tariffs on certain Chinese imported products that could help support the United States COVID-19 response. The USTR recently granted approximately 200 exclusions that covered personal protective equipment products, including medical masks, examination gloves, antiseptic wipes, and other medical-care related items…

On December 13, 2019, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced a “Phase One” agreement with China that will cease the imposition of 15% tariffs on $160 billion worth of Chinese imports that were scheduled to be imposed on December 15. According to a statement published by USTR, the U.S. will maintain tariffs on approximately…

The Trump Administration’s trade policy took another unexpected turn following the President’s Monday morning tweets on December 2, 2019. President Trump announced his intention to re-impose steel and aluminum tariffs on Argentina and Brazil due to “massive devaluation of their currencies.” In March 2018, President Trump imposed 25% duties on all foreign steel imports and …

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is considering possible extension requests for Section 301 List 1 exclusions granted in December 2018 and invites public comments on whether to extend exclusions granted in its December 2018 notice. These will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

USTR is focusing its analysis on whether…