Monday Morning eBriefing

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

A bipartisan effort to crack down on illegal fishing in U.S. markets is advancing rapidly on Capitol Hill — and industry insiders say it could soon become law. The Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act cleared the House Natural Resources Committee on April 21, setting the stage for a full House floor vote.

A coalition representing U.S. steel interests recently issued a letter to Congress encouraging support for the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act (H.R. 3151). The legislation is intended to strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding sector and broader maritime industrial base through a comprehensive policy approach.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome AMS Container Line, CMH Shipping Corporation, Ely Maritime Logistics, and Rome Customs & Trade USA, which have recently joined our association. We're so excited to have these firms join our organization and we are happy to assist in any way we can!

The Commerce Department recently published the President’s 2027 budget request for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). The Trump administration is specifically requesting $450 million for the agency or nearly double its 2026 budget of $235 million. BIS intends to significantly expand its enforcement capacity by adding more than 400 new positions, including 290 new Export Enforcement Agents and 40 additional Export Control Officers.

A summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on April 28 announced that it is requesting comments on the modernization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is authorized through Dec. 31, 2026. The deadline to submit comments to USTR is May 15.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has recently modernized the ACE Secure Data Portal (ACE Portal) account application for the trade. Specifically, there is a new process to update the Trade Account Owner for an existing active ACE Portal Account.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will hold public hearings on April 28-29 regarding the Section 301 investigations into 60 economies' acts, policies, and practices related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

The July 8 Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) E-filing deadline is real. It will not be delayed. If you have not already done so, prepare your customs brokerage and your importer clients now.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Monday morning, April 20, activated the first phase of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool in the ACE Secure Data Portal. Importers and authorized customs brokers can now file their CAPE Declarations through their ACE Portal accounts. CAPE is designed to consolidate refunds of IEEPA duties including interest rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis. CAPE Phase 1 is limited to certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on April 20 published an updated ACE Entry Summary Error Dictionary. The updated version includes a new validation error that occurs when a filer attempts to file a post-summary correction (PSC) for an entry for which a Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) declaration has been submitted.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on April 23 updated the Electronic Export Manifest (EEM) ACE Exports Truck 309 Customs Manifest and the CUSREP Conveyance Report.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the creation of Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2608 on April 22 which contains 39 Harmonized Tariff Records and 123 ABI records. This HSU includes Section 301 Large Civil Aircraft (LCA) HTS updates.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified six additional cosmetic products marketed as gel nail polish removers that contain methylene chloride—a substance prohibited for use in cosmetics. The findings come as part of FDA’s ongoing surveillance program, which involves periodic testing of cosmetic products on the market.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a major reorganization of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The agency will relocate approximately two-thirds of its D.C.-area workforce, with support operations consolidated in Iowa and scientific work strengthened in Georgia.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

The Commerce Department on April 23 published a notice in the Federal Register establishing procedures for steel and aluminum producers with facilities in Canada and Mexico which contribute to the manufacture U.S. trucks, automobiles and related parts to apply for Section 232 tariff reductions by committing to new U.S. production capacity.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) wants to hear from interested federal agencies and the public about proposed updates to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS). USITC has posted its proposed updates to the HTS on the USITC website. Interested federal agencies and the public are invited to submit written comments on the proposed updates by May 18, 2026.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deployed two new error messages for drawback to the ACE Production (PROD) environment on April 21. These new validations for FD12 and FD13 support proclamations related to Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Parts (MHDVPs) and Automobile Parts (products of South Korea) applicable to drawback claims Direct Identification Manufacturing Drawback under 19 U.S.C. 1313(a) and Substitution Manufacturing Drawback Claims under 19 U.S.C. 1313(b).