Tariff Cuts for Switzerland and Liechtenstein Retroactive to November 14 In a Federal Register notice set to take effect tomorrow, December 18, the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce have announced that the reciprocal tariff cuts promised in the recent trade deal with Switzerland and Liechtenstein will be effective retroactively beginning November 14. Annex I to this notice …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: SPECIAL ISSUE 25-053 – December 11, 2025
Major ACE Portal Changes for Importers The President of the Unites States has set the goal of eliminating the use of checks in its transactions. Customs and Border (CBP) has developed programming towards this goal. The first part is that every importer should get its own ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) Portal account. CBP will be using the ACE Portal accounts …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-052 – December 9, 2025
Trade Agreement Between United States and South Korea Begins Implementation On November 13 the U.S. and South Korea released a joint fact sheet regarding the details of the trade agreement between the two countries. This fact sheet details the steps both countries agreed to undertake. On December 3, the United States Trade Representative followed through on the promises made in the fact sheet, releasing …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-050 – November 25, 2025
Busy Weekend Sees Multiple Trade Agreement Announcements Last weekend was a busy weekend for Trade. The White House, in conjunction with various trading partners, made multiple announcements regarding trade agreements that have been reached. The countries with which trade agreements were reached include Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and South Korea. All these agreements are in the …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-049 – November 5, 2025
White House Publishes Fact Sheet Outlining Recent Trade Agreement with China The White House published a fact sheet over the weekend detailing the agreement reached by President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on October 30th. In this agreement, China has agreed to, amongst other promises, suspend the implementation of their export controls on rare earths that was announced …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-048 – October 31, 2025
CBP Releases Guidance on the Implementation of Section 232 for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks, Parts, and Buses Late Wednesday, October 29, Customs and Border Protection released a CSMS message detailing guidance for the implementation of Section 232 duties on Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks, parts, and buses. The lengthy CSMS message contained tariff headings, rates, and other relevant information regarding the …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-047 – October 29, 2025
Trade Agreements Reached with Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand Over the weekend, the White House has announced that various trade agreements had been reached with the countries of Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. In the agreement with Malayasia, the reciprocal tariff rate for Malaysian goods will remain at 19%, though the U.S. has also identified various products from those set …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-046 October 23, 2025
Possible 100% Additional Duties on Chinese Goods On October 9, China announced the imposition of large-scale export controls on most every product made in China. This includes rare earth metals. These export controls will affect every country. In a social media post, President Trump announced his intent to respond with an additional 100% tariff on all Chinese products, beginning November …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: SPECIAL ISSUE 25-045 – October 20, 2025
Possible 100% Additional Duties on Chinese Goods On October 9, 2025, China announced the imposition of large-scale export controls on almost every product made in China. This includes rare earth metals. These export controls will affect every country. In a social media post, President Trump announced his intent to respond with an additional 100% tariff on all Chinese products, November …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-044 – October 15, 2025
Reminder: Chinese Cargo Ship Fee Begins October 14 Fees on Chinese-built, -owned, or -operated vessels as well as foreign-built vehicle carriers entering U.S. ports began October 14. These fees, which will increase exponentially over the next three years, are the result of a determination by the USTR that the attempted dominance of China’s maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors is actionable …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-043 – October 01, 2025
Government Shutdown and Entry Processing The government shutdown went into effect this morning at 12:01 a.m. However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has confirmed that it is open for business and fully staffed. This includes all entry and exam processing. The client reps will be available, and the ACE business support will be working. Refund requests will continue to be …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: SPECIAL ISSUE 25-042 – September 29, 2025
IEEPA Tariff Possible Refunds The lawsuits against the President’s authority are now with the Supreme Court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) concurred with the Court of International Trade (CIT) that President Trump did not have the authority to assess such a wide array of duties under IEEPA. The CAFC remanded the appeal cases back to …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-041 September 26, 2025
President Trump Plans New Tariffs on Imports of Furniture, Heavy Truck, and Pharmaceuticals President Trump posted an announcement on Truth Social that he would impose new tariffs on imports of furniture, heavy trucks, and pharmaceuticals on October 1. He will impose a 25% tariff on heavy trucks to protect the future of U.S. manufacturers. He will assess a 50% tariff …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-040 September 17, 2025
Updated Implementation Guidance for U.S. Japan Agreement In a CSMS message released late on Monday, September 15, CBP has released updated guidance on the implementation of the U.S. Japan trade agreement. This update contains tariff numbers and effective dates for the various modifications of duties that accompany the agreement. Retroactive to 12:01 AM EDT on August 7, goods that are …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-039 September 10, 2025
Supreme Court will Hear the Two Cases that the CAFC was Remanding Back to the CIT Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed with CIT on the President’s unlimited authority under IEEPA to set reciprocal tariffs and the fentanyl tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. The CAFC set up to remand the cases back …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-038 – September 02, 2025
Reminder: De Minimis Released Ended on August 29 An executive order has suspended duty-free treatment under de minimis for goods from all countries. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will reject requests for de minimis entry and clearance for ineligible shipments. This includes Section 321 manifest electronic filings, the option of 321 filing in the truck manifest portal, and the use of …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: SPECIAL ISSUE 25-037 – August 28, 2025
USTR has Extended China 301 Exclusions On Thursday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced the extension of the China Section 301 exclusions that were set to expire on August 31, 2025. The exclusions have been extended to November 29, 2025. The advanced notice of the Federal Register Notice on the extension can be found at: FRN to Extend Exclusions …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25 – 036 August 22, 2025
US and EU Agree on Trade Framework The United States and the European Community formally agreed to a framework for an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade. This agreement serves as an initial stage in a process that may be expanded to address additional matters related to marketplace access and the development of trade and investment strategies. The U.S. …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-035 – August 13, 2025
Carmichael Welcomes Thayne Worsley as Director of Trade Solutions As we continue to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of global trade, we recognize the need to stay ahead of the curve, not only to serve our clients better but to position Carmichael as a leader in consulting and advisory services. In line with this vision, I’m excited to announce a new …
CARMICHAEL COMPASS: ISSUE 25-034 – August 01, 2025
New Reciprocal Tariff Rates Take Effect August 7 On July 31st, President Trump issued an executive order further modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates. These modifications take effect for goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption at 12:01 a.m. EST on August 7, 2025. There is a possible in-transit exception available. For trading partners with pending trade agreements, the duties outlined …