Author: Dave Townsend
Dave is a Partner in the firm's Government Solutions and Investigations Practice Group. Dave focuses on advising clients on international trade and transactions, including U.S. economic sanctions, export controls, customs law, and national-security related matters. He also represents clients in antidumping, countervailing duty, and safeguard proceedings as well as matters involving the World Trade Organization and U.S. free trade agreements.
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On June 1st, President Trump issued a Proclamation to adjust the Section 232 duties on derivative goods made of aluminum, copper, and steel, which are generally set at 50%. Goods that are eligible for preferential treatment under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“CUSMA” or “USMCA”) will be subject to a lower 25% duty rate with respect to the non-U.S. content, with a minimum duty rate of 15% ad valorem. This reduced rate will be in effect from 8 June 2026 through 31 December 2027. On June 2nd, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) issued a Section 301 report that accused Canada of insufficiently enforcing its import ban against forced labor products, which USTR...
The United States estimates it owes U.S. importers roughly $166 billion dollars in unlawfully collected tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). This webinar will assess potential litigation both from the claimant and U.S. importer perspective. More information and registration are available here.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued watershed decisions invalidating the U.S. tariffs imposed under IEEPA on February 20th. On March 3, 2026, we are hosting a webinar that looks to what is next for U.S. trade policy and also will discuss options for U.S. importers to receive tariff refunds. More information and registration are available here.
On August 16, 2020, the United States re-imposed Section 232 tariffs on Canadian-origin primary aluminum imports, adding another twist to the long-standing trade dispute with Canada over its aluminum exports to the United States. This tariff action followed a proclamation issued by President Trump dated 6 August 2020.[1] Citing an 87% surge in imports of primary aluminum from Canada since a tariff truce announced in May 2019, the Trump administration re-imposed a 10% tariff on these imports. This re-imposition of tariffs is happening despite the recent entry into force of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) in July 2020. Canada promptly retaliated in kind by announcing countermeasure tariffs on certain U.S. aluminum goods. In early...
The governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada signed a trade agreement (“USMCA”) in November 2018, which would replace the existing North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”). The Trump administration has begun seeking support in the U.S. Congress for USMCA. The path for the agreement, however, remains uncertain, with criticisms leveled against USMCA from both Democrats and Republicans. USMCA will adjust the existing NAFTA trade framework in certain ways, such as increasing the regional content requirement for automotive goods, providing greater market access in Canada for U.S. milk producers, and requiring Mexico to implement measures that will enhance organized labor activities. In addition, the USMCA contains new provisions that were unaddressed by...
Now that Canada allows using and producing marijuana and marijuana-related products, and bordering U.S. states like Washington, Maine, and Michigan have similarly relaxed marijuana-related laws, it seems natural that industries on both sides of the border will look for cross-border business opportunities. But cross-border transactions between the Canadian and U.S. marijuana industries face a potentially insurmountable obstacle: items primarily intended for the marijuana industry are considered prohibited drug paraphernalia and are illegal to import into or export from the United States. We refer to this statute as the Paraphernalia Statute. The Paraphernalia Statute prohibits paraphernalia from being imported into, exported from, or transported across U.S. state lines. The statute also prohibits the use of the...
