International Trade Attorney
The Trump Administration's international trade agenda just keeps chugging along. In April 2017, the “Buy American and Hire American” Executive Order directed the Commerce Department and Office of United States Trade Representative to “assess the impacts of all United States free trade agreements and the World Trade Organization Agreement on … Read More...
Ah, the 1980s: the decade of big hair, skinny ties*, Sony Walkman and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. While the first three are now the stuff of nostalgia (though I wouldn't mind seeing a Smiths reunions tour), Section 301 has made a dramatic return. The Trump Administration has just launched a new investigation covering “China’s Acts, … Read More...
With the headlines dominated by news about North Korea, the special counsel’s investigation and Despacito as the summer’s hit song, it’s understandable to think that international trade issues have gone on the back burner. That’s not the case, however. In addition to its massive-in-scope national security investigations of steel and aluminum, the … Read More...
Among the Obama administration's final actions was issuance of Executive Order 13761 (Jan. 13, 2017) suspending most United States trade sanctions against Sudan. The EO asserted that the reasons for imposing the sanctions in 1997 had changed. In particular, the government of Sudan had reduced its in-country military activity and showed cooperation … Read More...
The Trump Administration’s evaluation of international trade agreements is getting serious. In addition to the NAFTA renegotiations, discussed here, the Office of United States Trade Representative has solicited public comments on trade agreement violations and abuses. These comments will be considered as part of USTR’s “performance reviews of all … Read More...
Thinly-veiled protectionism or a bona-fide national security measure? Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 may answer “yes” to both descriptions. After pretty much lying dormant for the better part of two decades, the statute is back with a vengeance. By now, I’m sure everyone’s heard about the Section 232 investigations on steel and … Read More...
The U.S. International Trade Commission has instituted an investigation of the economic effects of providing duty-free treatment to products from Canada and Mexico. The investigation and resulting report, launched at the behest of the United States Trade Representative, is in furtherance of negotiations to revise the North American Free Trade … Read More...
The Trump administration has announced its intention to “modernize” the North American Free Trade Agreement through negotiations with Mexico and Canada. As part of that effort, the Office of United States Trade Representative is seeking public comments and will hold a hearing. The scope is broad; USTR has solicited “comments on matters relevant to … Read More...
This webinar was held on Thursday, 21 September 2017. Summary: The United States Trade Representative and Commerce Department recently launched a joint review of “Buy American” rules for Federal … [Read More...]
On May 17, George W. Thompson hosted a webinar on Export Control Reform. The Export Control Reform process remains underway, nearly five years after the initial regulatory changes began. According … [Read More...]
