Monday Morning eBriefing

The NCBFAA Customs Committee continues to monitor Customs and Border Protection (CBP) FAQs pertaining to IEEPA tariff actions and has highlighted some recent FAQs of particular interest to customs broker members, as well as has provided CBP ACH Debit considerations due to increased tariffs.

President Trump on April 17 signed the Executive Order, "Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness," which directs the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to further improve the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) to more effectively target high-risk shipments for nations that routinely violate international fishery regulations.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on April 17 released its final actions on the Section 301 China shipbuilding issue. The agency made significant changes from the initial proposed actions.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) has learned about a leaked Health and Human Resources (HHS) plan that calls for the elimination of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The plan calls for CPSC functions to be absorbed by a new office within the Office of the HHS Secretary with reduced funding.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in two Federal Register notices said it is soliciting public comments for Section 232 investigations for pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome Caspian Trade Advisors, Francisco Javier Reyes Retana CHB, JBF Warehouse & Cross Dock, and MM Superior Freight, 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!

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.

To help users navigate the upgraded ACE platform, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published modernized ACE Portal training guides which are available in the Modernized ACE Portal section of the ACE Training and Reference Guides webpage.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee continues to monitor the turbulent IEEPA tariff actions emanating from the White House, such as the April 9 Executive Order suspending the country-specific tariff rates until 12:01 a.m. ET on July 9, 2025, and further amending the duty rates of China goods which are shipped by international postal service. The Customs Committee is also reviewing the Executive Order, “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” which addresses the section 301 investigation into China’s efforts to dominate this industry.

The White House on April 3 published its Report to the President on the America First Trade Policy in which President Trump instructed the Treasury and Commerce departments, as well as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), to provide a report on myriad trade-related topics.

President Trump on April 9 signed the “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance” Executive Order in an effort to enhance the U.S. shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce as a countermeasure to China’s current maritime industry dominance.

The NCBFAA leadership and staff congratulates the new slate of the Board of Directors who were elected in by the Regular Membership during the Annual Meeting on Monday, April 7, at the 52nd NCBFAA Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

The 52nd NCBFAA Annual Conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 6-9 was a resounding success in terms of timely and highly informative content, particularly as it relates to the customs broker industry’s response to recently imposed tariffs.

Past NCBFAA President Geoff Powell received the coveted NCBFAA Centurion Award during the closing ceremony of the 52nd Annual Conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 9. NCBFAA presented this award to Powell, a longtime NCBFAA Member, Committee Chair, Past President, and Senior Counselor of the association, in appreciation of his outstanding vision, leadership, and dedication to the betterment of the international freight transportation community.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is stepping up efforts to review food import entries, as concerns increase over inaccurate identification of the "FSV Importer" on entry documents. The Food Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) places responsibility on importers to verify that their foreign suppliers are producing food that meets U.S. food safety standards.

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.

The White House Executive Order issued April 2 stated that all articles imported into the U.S. will be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 10 percent, effective 12:01 a.m. ET on April 5. President Trump on April 2 also signed an Executive Order to eliminate duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports from China, effective May 2 at 12:01 a.m. ET. In addition, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to provide guidance to trade with entry filing instructions pertinent to these tariffs. The NCBFAA Customs Committee and its Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., continue to monitor these tariffs and their impact on our customs broker members.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at all U.S. ports of entry have begun detentions of sea salt products produced by Taepyung Salt Farm, effective April 2. The agency said it issued the WRO against Taepyung Salt Farm based on information that “reasonably indicates the use of forced labor” in violation of 19 U.S.C. § 1307 in the production of that merchandise.