Monday Morning eBriefing

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published a Federal Register notice on Oct. 23 requesting comments regarding its further suspension of proposed Section 301 action against China’s maritime industry for two months following Nov. 9 through Jan. 9, 2027.

The White House released a proclamation Oct. 22, stating that at this time there will be no changes to the Section 232 tariffs for wind turbine component imports. However, President Trump said it “is necessary and appropriate to enter into negotiations with foreign trading partners to adjust the imports of wind turbines and their components and subcomponents to address the national security threat found in this proclamation.”

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sent a notice to the trade on Oct. 22 updating its CSMS #69990649 to provide guidance regarding an additional conforming amendment to Section 301 China product exclusions. The ACE functionality for the acceptance of the conforming amendment became effective as of 6 p.m. ET on Oct. 23, the agency said.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

A summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome ABH Global Trade Consulting, Priority Worldwide Services, Rancho Customs Brokers, and Trade Compliance Recruiting Solutions, which have recently joined our association. We're so excited to have these firms join our organization and we are happy to assist in any way we can! In addition, NCBFAA would like to highlight the new corporate name for Regular Member Cherry Freight LLC dba DIF International, of Euless, Texas.

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is partnering with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to host a webinar on fraud prevention for produce‑industry members. This webinar is part of ongoing coordination between USDA and FBI to strengthen industry awareness and prevention efforts through outreach and information sharing. Customs brokers who handle produce imports may want to attend this webinar.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) acted prematurely on certificate eFiling for some foreign trade zone (FTZ)-related entries. From Oct. 6-13, CPSC sent warning notices to importers who did not transmit certificate data for Entry Type 06 entries for withdrawals from the FTZ for consumption. Yet certificate eFiling for FTZs does not begin until Jan. 8, 2027.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) continues its phased reopening of the southern border ports for livestock imports from Mexico, with the agency citing enhanced safeguards against New World screwworm (NWS) and ongoing evaluations of animal health conditions making this possible. APHIS on Oct. 26 will reopen the Columbus, New Mexico, port of entry to cattle imports.

The Federal Maritime Commission on Oct. 27, at 10 a.m. ET, will hold a meeting at its headquarters on 800 North Capitol St. NW, 1st Floor Hearing Room, Washington, DC 20573. The meeting will also be livestreamed through a weblink that will be published on the Commission’s website, www.fmc.gov. Parts of this meeting will be open to the public, while others closed to the Commission only.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently issued Federal Order DA-2026-28 with updated import requirements for potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Canada to prevent the introduction of potato wart into the U.S. following Canada's announcement of an infestation in May. The Order took effect Oct. 5. The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) leaders met with APHIS to gain clarity on the new requirements. In particular, customs brokers were confused by the requirement for a bonded carrier for bulk loads, when the loads are required to be delivered to a certified, but non-bonded facility.

President Trump on Oct. 16 signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law. The Graham Act provides for the imposition of both sanctions on certain individuals and duties with respect to goods imported into the U.S. from Russia and certain other countries.

It is with profound sadness that NCBFAA notifies our membership of the sudden passing of Howard J. Woltmann III of Long Island, New York, on Oct. 10. He was 63. Bob was a Past President of the JFK Airport Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association and a member of the association’s Board of Directors. Through Overton & Co. Air Services Inc. in Elmont, New York, of which he served as President, Howard was also an active member of NCBFAA over the years.

This analysis regarding the Court of International Trade (CIT) class certification for pursuing future IEEPA tariff refunds is provided to our Customs Broker Members by NCBFAA Customs Counsel and Legislative Advisor of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. New developments in the ongoing IEEPA tariff refund process highlight that filing a lawsuit with the Court of International Trade remains the surest, quickest way to obtain such refunds, particularly for importers of record with a substantial potential refund amount.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

The Softwood Lumber Board has identified importers who have not been consistently calculating board feet for the softwood lumber fee. The board administers a nationally coordinated program of research, development, advertising, and promotion designed to strengthen the softwood lumber industry’s position in the marketplace, and to establish, maintain, and expand markets for softwood lumber products pursuant to the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order (Order) (7 CFR Part 1217).

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome Altar Logistics, Docxster, Hermes International Logistics, Kelly Global Logistics, Worchel Transport dba Prime Transport, and Zufall Logistics USA, which have recently joined our association. We're so excited to have these firms join our organization and we are happy to assist in any way we can!

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the extension of the compliance date for new informal entry procedures for international mail from Oct. 22, 2026, to Jan. 20, 2027. The 90-day extension provides importers, customs brokers, and logistics providers additional time to update their processes while helping avoid disruptions to certain international postal shipments destined for the U.S., the agency said.

After investigating reports of restrictive port practices by the Government of Spain, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it has determined that Spain has created “unfavorable shipping conditions” against U.S.-flagged vessels. As a result, the FMC has proposed remedies to counteract those unfavorable conditions, including charging fees for all Spanish-flagged vessels and restricting the import of certain Spanish goods.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced to the trade that Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2626 was created on Oct. 9 and contains 4 harmonized tariff records and 14 ABI records. This HSU contains Section 232 and PGA HTS flagging updates.