Monday Morning eBriefing

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on April 28 provided an update to the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) on the IEEPA tariff refunds process since the launch of Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) Phase 1 in ACE on April 20. However, the CBP update did not yet provide details on subsequent phases of CAPE.

U.S. Court of International (CIT) Judge Richard Eaton said Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will provide the next report on the progress made with Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) Phase 1 on Tuesday, May 12, at 12 p.m. ET. A closed settlement conference will be held in person and via Webex at 2 p.m. ET the same day. CBP expects to issue the first IEEPA refunds around May 11.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., has updated its list of FAQs for Regular Member customs brokers regarding the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) Phase 1 for IEEPA tariff refunds which the agency deployed on April 20.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has been urging importers to hold off on submitting first-quarter 2026 refund claims under the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) following the discovery of data inaccuracies in its myTTB CBMA Importer Claims System.

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 bipartisan effort to crack down on illegal fishing in U.S. markets is advancing rapidly on Capitol Hill — and industry insiders say it could soon become law. The Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act cleared the House Natural Resources Committee on April 21, setting the stage for a full House floor vote.

A coalition representing U.S. steel interests recently issued a letter to Congress encouraging support for the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act (H.R. 3151). The legislation is intended to strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding sector and broader maritime industrial base through a comprehensive policy approach.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome AMS Container Line, CMH Shipping Corporation, Ely Maritime Logistics, and Rome Customs & Trade 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!

The Commerce Department recently published the President’s 2027 budget request for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). The Trump administration is specifically requesting $450 million for the agency or nearly double its 2026 budget of $235 million. BIS intends to significantly expand its enforcement capacity by adding more than 400 new positions, including 290 new Export Enforcement Agents and 40 additional Export Control Officers.

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 Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on April 28 announced that it is requesting comments on the modernization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is authorized through Dec. 31, 2026. The deadline to submit comments to USTR is May 15.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has recently modernized the ACE Secure Data Portal (ACE Portal) account application for the trade. Specifically, there is a new process to update the Trade Account Owner for an existing active ACE Portal Account.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will hold public hearings on April 28-29 regarding the Section 301 investigations into 60 economies' acts, policies, and practices related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

The July 8 Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) E-filing deadline is real. It will not be delayed. If you have not already done so, prepare your customs brokerage and your importer clients now.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Monday morning, April 20, activated the first phase of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool in the ACE Secure Data Portal. Importers and authorized customs brokers can now file their CAPE Declarations through their ACE Portal accounts. CAPE is designed to consolidate refunds of IEEPA duties including interest rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis. CAPE Phase 1 is limited to certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on April 20 published an updated ACE Entry Summary Error Dictionary. The updated version includes a new validation error that occurs when a filer attempts to file a post-summary correction (PSC) for an entry for which a Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) declaration has been submitted.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on April 23 updated the Electronic Export Manifest (EEM) ACE Exports Truck 309 Customs Manifest and the CUSREP Conveyance Report.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the creation of Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2608 on April 22 which contains 39 Harmonized Tariff Records and 123 ABI records. This HSU includes Section 301 Large Civil Aircraft (LCA) HTS updates.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified six additional cosmetic products marketed as gel nail polish removers that contain methylene chloride—a substance prohibited for use in cosmetics. The findings come as part of FDA’s ongoing surveillance program, which involves periodic testing of cosmetic products on the market.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a major reorganization of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The agency will relocate approximately two-thirds of its D.C.-area workforce, with support operations consolidated in Iowa and scientific work strengthened in Georgia.