Commerce Secretary Designate Wilbur Ross was well received by the Commerce Committee during a four-hour confirmation hearing on Wednesday. In a soft-spoken manner, the Commerce nominee gave detailed answers on a wide range of issues. "I am not anti-trade," he said, but rather, described himself as "pro-sensible trade." Access to our markets should be allowed for those countries who also play fair, he said. "We cannot allow trade that is bad for American workers and businesses," he explained. Ross named the expansion of exports as his number one objective. With regard to Canada and Mexico, the Secretary Designate said NAFTA is "logically" the first trade topic for the Trump Administration to address. "We have to solidify the relationships...in our territory before we go off to other jurisdictions," he said, calling NAFTA a "very early" priority.

John Kelly gave an impressive performance during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, earning bipartisan praise from Committee members. Kelly was introduced by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who called the DHS nominee "a reliable, competent leader, capable of managing a complex, multipart operation." Kelly showed a firm grasp of the issues and was very straightforward in his responses. Committee Democrat Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) commented that the Committee had clearly "won the lottery" of Cabinet nominees. The hearing focused on security issues, with no mention of CBP or trade-related matters. Kelly's confirmation is expected to proceed smoothly.

The Senate is moving forward quickly to confirm Trump's cabinet nominees. During the week of January 9, eight confirmation hearings are scheduled, including:

House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) insists that the Committee's tax reform bill will eliminate the so-called "Made in America" tax (which is part of the current tax code), despite concerns from the business community about its impact. Calling it a "backwards feature of our nation's tax code," a committee document described an example of how the tax code penalizes companies who manufacture products in America:

The FMC has approved an amendment to THE Alliance Agreement to go into effect that permits establishing a contingency fund to help member carriers manage through, and recover from, the insolvency or financial distress of a participating line.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), effective July 1, revoked the Syria Sanctions as authorized in Executive Order (EO) 14312.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.

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 NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.

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

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome 7 Star Logistics Solutions, Farris Customs Brokers, Infinito Global Trade Network, and Karl Gross Logistics (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 NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), effective July 1, revoked the Syria Sanctions as authorized in Executive Order (EO) 14312.

FIATA’s new Best Practice Guide on Maritime Contracting helps freight forwarders navigate this landscape by clarifying the implications of acting under different capacities when engaging with ocean carriers.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.