Monday Morning eBriefing

The just-passed omnibus spending bill includes a small but important feature: a provision to add $250 million for the USDA’s Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI) program. USDA APHIS collects the AQI fees which are then used to pay for the CBP agriculture inspectors. The last-minute emergency request for funds from USDA was the result of a shortfall in fee collections due to reduced trade and travel during the pandemic. The additional funds will keep the AQI going through FY2023.

The Ex Works Watchdog keeps clients informed about the issues facing airport and seaport truckers.

The Loadstar on March 16 reported that Maersk was subpoenaed by the DOJ as part of an “ongoing investigation into supply chain disruption. Other than confirmation by Maersk, there is no information available as to why the carrier has been subpoenaed.

With the recent announcement that the U.S. will revoke Russia’s Most Favored Nation Duty Status, NCBFAA urges its members to monitor Customs and Border Protection’s CSMS and other trade-facing announcements as to when goods originating from Russia for U.S. consumption will be subject to exponentially higher column two duty rates. While such tariff rate changes typically track the date of entry for consumption or withdrawal from warehouse, it is possible that they may track the date of export from Russia, in this latter case where goods already exported, but not yet entered, may not carry the higher duty rates.

As with many large trade associations, the NCBFAA maintains outside counsel positions for guidance and to provide the membership with the highest quality of service available. To that end, we currently contract with two legal counsels, covering general association operations and customs and transportation matters, as well as legislative representative.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome the following members who have recently joined our association:

Now is not the time to slow down on contacting your local Congressional offices to ask them to support the Customs Business Fairness Act (CBFA) (H.R. 4816).

NCBFAA’s 2022 Membership Directory and Annual Report are now published and will be mailed by our publisher to qualifying member company representatives in the coming days.

In the runup to the launch of our new NCBFAA website, we are excited to announce an official preview of the site at the 49th NCBFAA Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona.

NCBFAA knows that you as our members are doing their best to keep up with their day-to-day businesses under dire supply chain circumstances, and now add on top of all that the recent flurry of U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. What do these sanctions mean to your business (our industry)? Well, it can be an awful lot, depending on whether you work with customers that had export or import business with Russia prior to invasion.

Some of you may occasionally receive questionable electronic communications which are believed to be part of phishing schemes. Always ignore and delete these communications!

President Biden on April 21 issued a proclamation that will ban the access of Russian-flagged vessels to U.S. ports, effective at 12:01 a.m. ET on April 28. The action by the U.S. follows a similar one taken earlier by Europe.

In alignment with Presidential Proclamation 10133 of Jan. 14, 2021, the trade remedy measures on large residential washers and covered parts are extended through Feb. 7, 2023, and quota limits and duty rates are specified for the additional years.

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.

NCBFAA wishes those individuals taking the next Customs and Border Protection (CBP) customs brokers license exam on April 27 the best of luck and we look forward to hopefully welcoming many of you into the club!

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have continued to postpone their “Container Dwell Fee,” and said they will reconsider its possible imposition on April 29.

With the modernization of the ACE Secure Data Portal (ACE Portal) moving ahead, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is providing resources that help users make the most of legacy ACE Portal and ACE Reports functionality. The agency has developed this video for customs brokers containing both helpful information for those getting started in ACE and useful tips for more experienced users.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Trade’s National Commodity Specialist Division (NCSD) and the Office of Trade Relations have announced their May webinars. Each webinar will last about an hour.

FMC National Shipper Advisory Committee Meeting, April 27, 1-4 p.m. ET. Details here.

Here is a summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable: