On January 22, President Trump turned his threats to impose higher tariffs on China and promises to protect U.S. industry from imports into action. He ordered safeguard tariffs on imported large residential washing machines and imported solar cells and
On January 9, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that would allow the public to track waivers of Buy American requirements and encourage federal agencies to minimize their use. The proposal is prompted by the concern that federal agencies
In response to an April presidential directive, the Secretary of Commerce is to present the President with a Buy American report by November 24. That report is to include “specific recommendations to strengthen implementation of Buy American Laws”. In
On September 22, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) made an unanimous determination that increased imports of solar cells into the United States are “a substantial cause of serious injury to the domestic industry”. The ITC’s ruling
A global safeguard investigation, launched by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) on May 17, may provide the President with the opportunity to apply a trade law that has not been used for 15 years. The investigation is based on Sections 201-202
On April 18, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) that elaborates on his directive to the Executive Branch to “Buy American and Hire American”. The Buy American portion of the Order seeks to maximize the use of U.S.-made products
President Trump’s promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is taking shape. On March 29, the Administration provided a draft notice of the President’s intention “to initiate negotiations” related to that Agreement to
President Trump’s 2017 Trade Policy Agenda, issued on March 1, sets expanding trade that is “freer and fairer for all Americans” as its guiding principle. The Administration identifies four major priorities: (i) defending U.S. sovereignty
On March 1, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued the 2017 Trade Policy Agenda, the first official statement of the new Administration’s trade policy. It essentially rejects the policy of more than two decades, concluding that the United States needs
On January 23, President Donald Trump began to carry out his campaign promises on trade, directing the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement and “to begin pursuing, wherever