NCBFAA on March 10 responded to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice requesting comments regarding methods to prevent imports into the U.S. of goods mined, produced, and manufactured in China using forced labor, especially from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The DHS request for comments was facilitated by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and the U.S. government’s Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF).

During this past week, the U.S. Government activated various enforcement agencies to do “boots on the ground” outreach to the trade, including freight forwarders. This has consisted of onsite visits, calls, and follow-up emails.

For imported merchandise where Internal Revenue Tax (IRT) was paid to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), any related IRT drawback claim calculations must reflect IRT refunds paid by the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), CBP said.

The NCBFAA Airfreight Subcommittee’s Internal Screening Advisory Council (iSAC) on March 9 identified and confirmed a new Security Threat Assessment (STA) from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to be used by the airfreight industry for all initial and renewing STA application submissions.

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.

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 March 18.

This article is provided to NCBFAA by our Customs Counsel Lenny Feldman at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is launching the National Drug Entry Review Pilot, starting March 13, to conduct entry reviews of drug shipments on a national basis, rather than the current port-by-port entry review approach. Entry review staff for drug entries will operate on a 24/7 basis, covering all 336 ports of entry. The pilot will continue for 90 days.

Border Release Advanced Screening and Selectivity (BRASS) provided for the tracking and releasing of highly repetitive shipments at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) land border locations. CBP said the use of BRASS as an entry type will be discontinued when Truck Manifest Modernization (TMM) goes live for the ports listed below that are participating in the Truck phase deployment and ultimately will cease when deployment goes out to all remaining ports. The C4 code will not be supported going forward, and an alternative entry method must be utilized. This is effective for Truck only and will not affect the use of BRASS as a shipment type for Rail at this time. ACE Truck Manifest Modernization: Phase 2 and 3 Rollout Schedule: Brownsville – Deployment Jan. 31 Buffalo – Deployment March 13 Laredo – Deployment April 3 Blaine – Deployment April 24 Detroit – Deployment May 15 Remaining Ports – Deployment June 5 CBP said training will be available as rollout proceeds. On June 20, R4 will be retired. All related functionalities will be available for CBP users in the modernized application.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in lockstep with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), FBI, and the National Security Agency (NSA), is urging U.S. infrastructure operators and air transport providers to protect themselves against the possible increase in cyberattacks.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Friday, Oct. 10, announced modifications to its Section 301 tariffs on foreign ships calling U.S. ports, effective Oct. 14, as well as the addition of tariffs for container-handling equipment imports.

President Trump in a Truth Social post on Friday, Oct. 10, said that his administration will impose 100% tariffs on China products, “over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying,” by Nov. 1 or sooner, citing an “extraordinary aggressive position” taken by China against the U.S. with new tariffs and increased export controls on rare earth metals.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., are closing monitoring the imposition of Section 232 tariffs on timber, lumber, and derivative products imported into the U.S., starting for entries made on or after Oct. 14, and proposed Section 232 tariffs for heavy-duty truck imports by Nov. 1. The Committee will provide related Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance to our customs broker members as soon as it’s received.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has stepped up outreach to the trade to increase awareness of DEA import and export requirements. DEA officials recently visited several local customs broker associations to spread the word about importer and exporter requirements under the Controlled Substances Act with particular emphasis on chemicals that can be used to manufacture fentanyl.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during an Oct. 1 call with the trade that no refunds of any type, including drawback, ACH, etc., are part of the excepted functions currently allowed by the agency during the government shutdown since they’re tied to appropriations.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Friday, Oct. 10, announced modifications to its Section 301 tariffs on foreign ships calling U.S. ports, effective Oct. 14, as well as the addition of tariffs for container-handling equipment imports.

President Trump in a Truth Social post on Friday, Oct. 10, said that his administration will impose 100% tariffs on China products, “over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying,” by Nov. 1 or sooner, citing an “extraordinary aggressive position” taken by China against the U.S. with new tariffs and increased export controls on rare earth metals.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., are closing monitoring the imposition of Section 232 tariffs on timber, lumber, and derivative products imported into the U.S., starting for entries made on or after Oct. 14, and proposed Section 232 tariffs for heavy-duty truck imports by Nov. 1. The Committee will provide related Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance to our customs broker members as soon as it’s received.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has stepped up outreach to the trade to increase awareness of DEA import and export requirements. DEA officials recently visited several local customs broker associations to spread the word about importer and exporter requirements under the Controlled Substances Act with particular emphasis on chemicals that can be used to manufacture fentanyl.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during an Oct. 1 call with the trade that no refunds of any type, including drawback, ACH, etc., are part of the excepted functions currently allowed by the agency during the government shutdown since they’re tied to appropriations.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Friday, Oct. 10, announced modifications to its Section 301 tariffs on foreign ships calling U.S. ports, effective Oct. 14, as well as the addition of tariffs for container-handling equipment imports.

President Trump in a Truth Social post on Friday, Oct. 10, said that his administration will impose 100% tariffs on China products, “over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying,” by Nov. 1 or sooner, citing an “extraordinary aggressive position” taken by China against the U.S. with new tariffs and increased export controls on rare earth metals.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., are closing monitoring the imposition of Section 232 tariffs on timber, lumber, and derivative products imported into the U.S., starting for entries made on or after Oct. 14, and proposed Section 232 tariffs for heavy-duty truck imports by Nov. 1. The Committee will provide related Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance to our customs broker members as soon as it’s received.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has stepped up outreach to the trade to increase awareness of DEA import and export requirements. DEA officials recently visited several local customs broker associations to spread the word about importer and exporter requirements under the Controlled Substances Act with particular emphasis on chemicals that can be used to manufacture fentanyl.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during an Oct. 1 call with the trade that no refunds of any type, including drawback, ACH, etc., are part of the excepted functions currently allowed by the agency during the government shutdown since they’re tied to appropriations.