Monday Morning eBriefing

The 10% additional tariffs on imports from China took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET, Feb. 4. Initially, the Executive Order removed all Chinese goods from eligibility under a section 321 de minimis claim. Removal from de minimis entry meant that Chinese goods had to enter either under a formal or informal entry. By Friday, Feb. 7, the President issued an amendment to his original Executive Order that allows Chinese goods to use de minimis until such time as the Department of Commerce notifies the President that “adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue applicable.”

NCBFAA on Feb. 7 offered the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) its input on the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) presentation and design, as part of the commission’s proposed modifications to the U.S. HTS (Inv. No. 1205-7).

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a Feb. 5 Federal Register notice said the quarterly Internal Revenue Service interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refunds (overpayments) of customs duties will “decrease” from the previous quarter.

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organics Program (NOP) warned that certifiers and certified operations have received phishing emails from sources pretending to be USDA.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said the Premier Alliance Agreement will take effect Feb. 9. The Premier Alliance Agreement allows HMM Co., Ltd., Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd., and Yang Ming Joint Service Agreement to share vessels in the trades between the U.S. and Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

NCBFAA has been informed that Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) intends to re-introduce the Land Port of Entry (LPOE) Modernization Trust Fund Act in the 119th Congress.

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

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

Attendees of the industry-leading 52nd NCBFAA Annual Conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass on April 6-9, 2025 will experience over three days an action-packed and educational program led by leading industry subject matter experts and government officials involved in cross-border trade. At this time, the stakes for U.S. customs brokers, freight forwarders, and NVOCCs could not be higher, especially with the imposition of import tariffs and regulatory changes impacting international trade, and that is why you should register today to attend the upcoming NCBFAA Annual Conference.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome Continental Customs Brokerage, Ellen Newman Logistics, GLTAM Customs Brokers, DLM International, One Circle Logistics, and Sayari, 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) at JFK International Airport will implement the nation’s first all-electronic data exchange CES Portal on Feb. 18. The agency encourages all firms to register as soon as possible, allowing ample time for introduction to the Portal and its functionalities before the implementation date.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notified the trade on Sunday evening, Feb. 2, that a Federal Register Notice will be published by the agency which will provide more specifics, including further details on relevant updates to the HTSUS.

Invoking authority principally under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), however referencing section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the President is imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Feb. 4.

The NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI) is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Certified Customs Specialist (CCS) and Certified Export Specialist (CES) awards which will be delivered during the April 7 luncheon of the 52nd NCBFAA Annual Conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in Arizona.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Feb. 22 will migrate ACE Secure Data Portal account user access management functionality to the modernized ACE Portal. This change will only affect Trade Account Owners (TAO) and Proxy Trade Account Owners (PTAO). Trade Account Users will be unaffected.

Effective March 3, the Census Bureau will implement the use of a fillable form for the submission of Voluntary Self Disclosures (VSDs). The intent of the form is to streamline the process.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) recently met with Customs and Border Protection (CBP)-Agriculture officials to discuss growing concerns about the performance of Ag officers at the port of Norfolk.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released an updated ACE Cargo Release CATAIR, Draft ACE Cargo Release CATAIR, and ACE Cargo Release Condition Codes documents to the agency website.

“As we begin a new era of increased professionalism and recognition of the vital role that we play in our nation’s economic prosperity and security, I want to make you aware of a few important things related to your continuing education,” said NEI Executive Vice President Cynthia Whittenburg.

Our industry-leading 52nd NCBFAA Annual Conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass on April 6-9 offers more than just three days of insightful conference programming. There are also amazing extra-curricular events for your consideration upon registering, such as the Golf Outing, Horseback Riding experience and the Poker Tournament on Sunday, April 6. All these events are near capacity, so register as soon as possible to secure your place.