On November 14, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order modifying the scope of reciprocal tariffs to exempt certain agricultural products. The tariffs were originally imposed in April to address persistent U.S. goods trade deficits, which were deemed a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act, and the Trade Act of 1974. The action follows an earlier order issued in September that had modified the goods…
On November 13, 2025, the United States and South Korea issued a joint factsheet announcing the formalization of a series of trade-related negotiations. The announcement builds upon prior arrangements and reflects ongoing negotiations between the two countries’ leaders, including recent meetings and state visits. The announcement confirms the trade deal announced in July 2025, which set a 15% tariff rate for most South Korean imports, and also represents a comprehensive approach to the critical economic…
On October 26, 2025, the Trump Administration announced a series of trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia, as well as framework agreements with Thailand and Vietnam, marking expanded US economic engagement across Southeast Asia. Vietnam: According to a joint statement, Vietnam will open its market to most US exports on a duty-free basis, while the United States maintains a 20% tariff on Vietnamese goods, with some exceptions, to be listed in Annex III to Executive…
On September 29, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued a proclamation imposing new tariffs on imports of timber, lumber, and wood products as a result of an ongoing investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 that was initiated on March 1, 2025. In accordance with this investigation, the President concluded that duties should be imposed on certain timber, lumber, and wood products to address national security concerns. To address these concerns,…
On September 25 and after years of litigation, the Federal Circuit upheld tariffs on Chinese goods imposed during President Donald Trump’s first term under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 . The three-judge panel unanimously agreed that the administration had the authority to expand the initial tariffs from USD 50 billion to USD 320 billion worth of Chinese goods on products in 2019. Importers challenged the tariffs arguing they were unlawful. The court…
The US Department of Commerce announced that it had initiated separate investigations under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 into imports of a broad array of medical goods and imports of robotics and industrial machinery. These new investigations illustrate the administration’s growing reliance on Section 232 investigations to impose tariffs. Section 232 authorizes the President, through the US Department of Commerce, to examine national security impacts of specific imports. In addition to…
On September 25, President Donald Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to announce a new wave of tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, targeting furniture, pharmaceuticals and trucks. These measures, set to take effect on October 1, 2025, are framed as necessary for national security and are being implemented to revitalize domestic manufacturing, and seem to follow from the previously announced initiation of Section 232 investigations covering such products.…
The US Supreme Court granted certiorari in VOS Selections, Inc. v. Trump on September 9, agreeing to review a recent decision of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that held that the invocation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on dozens of trading partners is illegal. For further information on what’s at stake in VOS Selections, see our earlier commentary here and here. The Court has also consolidated…
On July 30 and 31, President Trump issued several significant trade measures. The new developments come just days, or in some cases, hours, before the August 1 deadline for the “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs to resume. New Reciprocal Tariffs Announced On July 31, President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates.” The Order sets new tariff rates for dozens of countries just hours before the “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs were…
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced the formation of the Market, Government, and Consumer Fraud Unit (MGCF Unit). The MGCF will reportedly sit within the DOJ’s Fraud Section. Although the details of the MGCF Unit’s precise remit are still forthcoming, we expect the MGCF Unit will be empowered to pursue criminal investigations and prosecutions of tariff evasion techniques such as misclassifying or undervaluing goods, as well as transshipping goods to a different country and…