Another busy month in international trade news. Here’s the roundup: 

Administration:

  • President Trump issued a Proclamation establishing an incentive for companies that are expanding primary aluminum production in the US, allowing them to import primary aluminum at a reduced tariff rate. 
  • On July 20, 2026, the White House announced that the United States will impose an additional 50% tariff on many Canadian-origin products beginning 30 days after the order’s issuance.  
  • President Trump announced via Truth Social that the Administration will initiate a 301 investigation into the European Union for excessive fines against American tech companies. 
  • President Trump announced via Truth Social that effective August 1st, 2026, all Generic Drugs being brought into the United States will continue to have a 0% tariff for a two-year period of time, after which the tariff will be raised to 100% for one year, and 200% thereafter. 

United States Trade Representative (USTR)  

  • On July 23, 2026, the USTR announced a Section 301 action imposing new tariffs on 60 trading partners.  
  • On July 15, 2025, the USTR announced a Section 301 action imposing a 25% tariff against some Brazilian exports.  
  • The U.S. declined to renew the USMCA. The agreement remains in force and now enters a cycle of yearly reviews until 2036.  

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)       

  • CBP announced that it has uncovered more than $1 billion in additional duties owed under the Enforce and Protect Act. 
  • CBP issued an interim final rule (IFR) that codifies the suspension of de minimis for international mail shipments and establishes a new postal informal entry process for certain goods entering by mail. The rule took effect July 24, 2026.  
  • CBP issued a Notice of Determination as to Evasion in an EAPA case, finding that a major solar-module importer evaded antidumping AD/CVD orders on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells.   

Courts     

  • The CIT entered an order directing CBP to reliquidate certain finally liquidated entries in about 3,700 cases assigned to the court in the IEEPA case. 
  • Burlap and Barrel and Collective Horology filed a lawsuit against the Section 301 tariffs announced July 23. 
  • On July 13, 2026, CBP filed its latest status declaration with the CIT in the IEEPA refund case. CBP reported that $121.75 billion in both potential and certified refunds have been accepted for processing in CAPE.  

Department of Justice 

  • The DOJ and DHS jointly published a new Resource Guide to Trade Fraud Enforcement, highlighting the government’s coordinated approach to combating customs fraud and strengthening import compliance.  
  • The Chinese tech company Alibaba agreed to pay $600 million to resolve allegations that it sold and imported illegal pharmaceuticals, regulated chemicals, controlled substances, and pill-making equipment into the U.S.    
  • A Dallas seafood business was fined $250,000 for falsifying the country of origin for salmon. 

U.S. Department of Commerce  

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

Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)       

  • OFAC sanctioned over 50 Mexican individuals and entities linked to the terrorist group Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).   
  • OFAC designated a senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (EMB) official, along with three individuals and three entities that have provided material support to Hamas. 
  • OFAC launched a new online Reconsideration Portal for the submission of requests to be removed from an OFAC sanctions list.  
  • OFAC announced sanctions against multiple entities engaged in fuel smuggling schemes linked to Mexican Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion.   

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  

  • The FDA issued a proposed rule that would require all foreign tobacco product manufacturers to complete registration and product listing through the FDA.   

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 

  • Starting July 8, 2026, importers of most regulated consumer products must electronically file (eFile) Certificate of Compliance data into CBP’s ACE system at the time of entry, no longer on request.  

Congress     

  • A group of 52 U.S. House Representatives wrote a letter to President Trump asking the administration to allow the Jones Act waiver to expire as scheduled on August 16.
  • Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote a letter to CBP asking a series of questions about IEEPA refunds, including how many refunds have been issued, how much value they covered, and what the average wait time between application and refund is.

Want more customs and international trade news? Sign up for our weekly snapshot!