This week’s recap of the latest customs and international trade news:      

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)        

  • CBP’s Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) held it’s quarterly meeting on Sept. 23 and recommended that the CBP Office of Trade Relations establish a central webpage to house guidance and resources, and create a feedback mechanism for the COAC and trade community. 
  • CBP published an alert to CTPAT partners stating that pursuant to Executive Order 14411, Strengthening Customs Enforcement, Importers of Record (IORs) and licensed customs brokers acting on their behalf, are required to ensure information submitted on CBP Form 5106, Importer Identity Form, is accurate, complete, and updated as needed. 
  • CBP is automating the submission method for Organization Broker License Applications. As of September 30, 2026, organization license applicants will complete and submit all applications and associated fees through the eCBP portal. 
  • CBP announced an electronic export manifest (EEM) pilot for shipments leaving the U.S. by truck. The pilot will begin Oct. 23 and last two years. 
  • CBP issued guidance on technical corrections for certain Section 301 product exclusions. 
  • The customs broker permit user fee will increase from $185.38 to $190.88 on October 1, 2026. 

Administration 

  • In an interview, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the U.S. and China have agreed to extend the trade truce by two months. The truce was meant to go through November 10, it will now be in place through January 10. 

Court of International Trade (CIT)  

  • Plaintiffs led by Learning Resources are asking the CIT to overturn USTR’s forced labor investigation involving 60 economies. They argue that USTR exceeded its Section 301 authority by failing to make country-specific findings and that the resulting tariffs violate the Administrative Procedure Act. 

Department of Commerce 

  • Commerce published a Federal Register notice describing how Commerce will evaluate if importers are creating new importers of record to evade the anti-stockpiling directive for solar cells, solar modules, polysilicon ingots and wafers, and polysilicon. 
  • Commerce issued a notice clarifying exemptions from Section 232 tariffs on patented pharmaceuticals and establishing a procedure for requesting exemptions for pharmaceutical products that meet an urgent health need. 

United States Trade Representative (USTR)  

  • USTR held a public hearing on September 22, 2026, regarding the Section 301 investigation into Germany’s acts, policies, and practices related to the persistent underpayment for innovative pharmaceutical products.   

Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)     

  • OFAC designated BitBank, a priority digital assets venture controlled by OFAC-designated Iranian financier Babak Zanjani (Zanjani), as part of Operation Economic Outcast, the Trump Administration’s campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its enablers.  

Department of State 

  • The Department of State designated eight entities and three individuals to further the Trump Administration’s comprehensive push to end the Cuban regime’s malign activities. The action includes imposing sanctions on the Cuban regime’s nickel exploitation apparatus and military-industrial complex.  

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)   

  • Import alerts:
    • 99-42: Foods due to Heavy Metal Contamination  
    • 99-35: Fresh Produce that appears to have been Prepared, Packed or Held under Insanitary Conditions  
    • 99-32: Products from firms refusing FDA Foreign Establishment Inspection 
    • 99-08: Processed Foods for Pesticides   

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

  • USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Star Meat Delivery Inc., located in Lucama, N.C., is recalling approximately 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection, bearing labels with a false USDA mark of inspection. 

Congress   

  • U.S. House Representative Nanette Barragan introduced The Housing Tariff Exclusion Act. The bill would roll back tariffs on hundreds of HTSUS codes characterized as critical homebuilding products and would create a process for importers to ask for exclusions for other construction products 
  • House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar sent a letter to the White House urging the Administration to block Chinese investment in the U.S. in the auto sector and asking for expansions of the Federal Communications Commission Covered List. 

International 

Industry News 

  • Altana and the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) sponsored a research survey of trade and customs teams at enterprise businesses. Of 230 surveyed trade and customs leaders, 61% say their job has become significantly harder since the start of 2025. Only 26% feel their resources have grown enough to keep pace. 91% are under pressure to do more with AI. 
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