What Happened This Month in International Trade (February 2026) 

Supreme Court  

  • On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Learning Resources, Inc., et al. v. Trump, ruling that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. 

Administration 

  • In response to the Supreme Court’s IEEPA ruling, President Trump issued a Proclamation imposing a 10% tariff on all goods under Section 122 of the Trade Act. The President also announced that he will be increasing it to the lawful maximum of 15%, but the effective date has not yet been set. 
  • President Trump signed an Executive Order continuing the suspension of duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries. 
  • The U.S. and Bangladesh released a joint statement on reciprocal trade. The U.S. is lowering the tariffs on Bangladeshi exports to 19% rather than the 20%. The U.S. will also establish a mechanism for a tariff rate quota for Bangladeshi textile and apparel imports, with goods coming in under the quota entering duty-free.  
  • President Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S.’s trade deal with Japan is moving forward and that Japan will make its first set of investments under its $550 billion dollar commitment. 
By |2026-02-26T11:40:42-05:00February 26, 2026|news, Snapshot, Uncategorized|Comments Off on What Happened This Month in International Trade (February 2026) 

New AD/CVD Case Filed Against Truck Bed Covers From China   

A new antidumping and countervailing duty action has been filed against Truck Bed Covers from China. The allegation is that imports from China are unfairly subsidized and being dumped.  

Full list of importers and exporters here. 

Background on AD/CVD Investigations 

Antidumping duty (“AD”) and countervailing duty (“CVD”) investigations are brought jointly by the U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) and the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”). AD investigations are triggered when a domestic industry alleges that it has been injured by competing imports of particular goods from specific countries being sold at less than a fair value. Meanwhile, CVD investigations are triggered when a domestic industry alleges that it has been injured by competing imports that are being unfairly subsidized by their governments. The domestic industry initiating the investigation is known as the petitioner while the foreign industry participating in the investigation is known as the respondent. 

Scope of the Investigation 

 The merchandise covered by these investigations is truck bed covers, which are protective shields made of aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, plastic, and/or water-resistant fabric that are seized to span the open-top area of a pickup truck.   

The products subject to the investigation are currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under the following subheading: 8708.29.5160.    

Full scope here.

Next Steps 

The Commerce Department will determine whether to initiate the investigations within 20 days. The USITC will reach […]

By |2026-02-26T08:49:45-05:00February 26, 2026|AD/CVD, U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)|Comments Off on New AD/CVD Case Filed Against Truck Bed Covers From China   

Supreme Court Rules IEEPA Tariffs Are Unlawful

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its opinion in Learning Resources, Inc., et al. v. Trump. The Court ruled that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. 

The Court rejected the Trump Administration’s assertion that the statutory text of IEEPA delegates Congressional tariff powers to the President, finding that Congress would not have delegated “highly consequential power” through ambiguous language.

The majority wrote, “Based on two words separated by 16 others in … IEEPA, ‘regulate’ and ‘importation’–the President asserts the independent power to impose tariffs on imports from any country, of any product, at any rate, for any amount of time. Those words cannot bear such weight.”

The decision was 6-3, with Justice Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh dissenting.

What This Means for Importers

The Trump Administration has made clear that, regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, tariffs will remain a cornerstone of their trade and “America First” policy. 

On January 9, 2026, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said of the Supreme Court case: “Our expectation is that we’re going to win, and if we don’t win, then we know that we’ve got other tools that we can use that get us to the same place.” He also said in a Fox Business Interview that the Administration has a backup plan ready to go that would allow tariffs to be put “back into […]

By |2026-02-23T22:09:24-05:00February 23, 2026|International Trade, news, Tariffs, Trade Policy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)|Comments Off on Supreme Court Rules IEEPA Tariffs Are Unlawful

Breaking Trade News: Bangladesh Trade Deal, New 232 Guidance, UFLPA Dashboard Update

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news:    

Administration  

  • Via a post on X, President Trump threatened to block the opening of a second bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Canada, “until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given.”   
  • The Trump administration is reportedly considering tariff exemptions for major U.S. hyperscalers involved in construction of data centers needed for AI.
  • The U.S. and Bangladesh released a joint statement on reciprocal trade. The U.S. is lowering the tariffs on Bangladeshi exports to 19% rather than the 20%. The U.S. will also establish a mechanism for a tariff rate quota for Bangladeshi textile and apparel imports, with goods coming in under the quota entering duty-free. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)  

  • CBP’s base metals Center of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) released updated guidance for calculating steel, aluminum and copper content for Section 232 tariff purposes. 
  • UFLPA Enforcement Statistics Dashboard update: in the previous dashboard, a shipment was defined as an aggregate of the totality of goods subjected to UFLPA enforcement actions. Now, a shipment is now defined as an individual import transaction within a shipment entry or customs declaration. This […]
By |2026-02-12T11:46:51-05:00February 12, 2026|news, Snapshot, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Breaking Trade News: Bangladesh Trade Deal, New 232 Guidance, UFLPA Dashboard Update

Section 232 Valuation in a Gray Area: What Importers Need to Know

Over the past year, the Section 232 tariff landscape for steel and aluminum has shifted rapidly. A series of presidential actions in 2025 significantly expanded the scope of Section 232 steel and aluminum duties while offering limited instruction on how those duties should be assessed. As a result, companies importing steel and aluminum-containing products are facing unclear guidance at a time when CBP scrutiny – and enforcement – is increasing. This lack of clear guidance has led to a lot of importer confusion and to the lawsuit discussed below.

Background on New Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

On February 11, 2025, President Trump issued two Proclamations imposing enhanced import tariffs on steel and aluminum products under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. While additional Section 232 tariffs had been in place on certain steel and aluminum products since the first Trump Administration in 2018, the orders eliminated certain exemptions from the tariffs, expanded their scope to cover additional products, and increased the tariffs on covered aluminum goods from 10% to 25%.

On February 18, 2025, two Federal Register Notices were published that included lists of “derivative” steel and aluminum products subject to the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum under Section 232. The Federal Register Notices, which include the specific Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) classifications for the derivative products in Annex 1, are available

By |2026-02-11T22:14:46-05:00February 11, 2026|Enforcement, Import, International Trade, Tariffs, U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)|Comments Off on Section 232 Valuation in a Gray Area: What Importers Need to Know

Breaking Trade News: Trump Lowers India Tariffs, New UFLPA Dashboard

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news:    

Administration 

  • Via a Truth Social Post, President Trump announced that after speaking with Indian Prime Minister Modi, the U.S. will drop reciprocal tariffs on India from 25% to 18%. 
  • During a meeting at the State Department, Vice President Vance said that the U.S. is seeking to organize a preferential trade zone for critical minerals. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

  • CBP announced a new and improved Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Enforcement Statistics Dashboard that provides a more detailed view of CBP’s enforcement actions.  
  • CBP issued a Withhold Release Order against coffee harvested by Finca Monte Grande, a Mexican coffee farm. Effective immediately, CBP at all U.S. ports of entry will detain coffee harvested by Finca Monte Grande. 

Department of Commerce 

  • A new antidumping and countervailing duty action has been filed against certain fatty acids from Indonesia and Malaysia. The allegation is that imports from Indonesia and Malaysia are unfairly subsidized and are being dumped. 

United States Trade Representative (USTR) 

  • U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer joined Guatemala’s Minister of Economy Adriana Gabriela Garcia in signing the United States–Guatemala Agreement on […]
By |2026-02-06T15:05:58-05:00February 6, 2026|news, Snapshot, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Breaking Trade News: Trump Lowers India Tariffs, New UFLPA Dashboard

New AD/CVD Case Filed Against Certain Fatty Acids From Indonesia and Malaysia  

A new antidumping and countervailing duty action has been filed against certain fatty acids from Indonesia and Malaysia. The allegation is that imports from Indonesia and Malaysia are unfairly subsidized and are being dumped.

Full list of exporters here.

Full list of importers here.

Background on AD/CVD Investigations

Antidumping duty (“AD”) and countervailing duty (“CVD”) investigations are brought jointly by the U.S. International Trade Commission (“USITC”) and the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”). AD investigations are triggered when a domestic industry alleges that it has been injured by competing imports of particular goods from specific countries being sold at less than a fair value. Meanwhile, CVD investigations are triggered when a domestic industry alleges that it has been injured by competing imports that are being unfairly subsidized by their governments. The domestic industry initiating the investigation is known as the petitioner, while the foreign industry participating in the investigation is known as the respondent.

Scope of the Investigation

The merchandise covered by these investigations is certain fatty acids, which are organic acids made of a hydrocarbon chain with a carboxylic acid group attached to an R-group, with an iodine value below 105g/100g and with a ratio of free fatty acids to triglycerides of at least 97%.

The products subject to the investigation are currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under the following subheadings: 2915.70.01.20, 2915.70.01.50, 2915.90.10.50, 2916.15.10.00, 2916.15.51.00, 3823.11.00.00, 3823.12.00.00, 3823.19.20.00, 3823.19.40.00, 2915.70.01.10, and 2915.90.10.10.

Full scope here.

Next Steps

The Commerce Department will determine […]

By |2026-02-04T06:53:15-05:00February 4, 2026|AD/CVD, U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)|Comments Off on New AD/CVD Case Filed Against Certain Fatty Acids From Indonesia and Malaysia  
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