The United States and Mexico announced yesterday they have agreed on steps to address worker rights violations at a Mexican denim factory that is one of Levi’s largest suppliers. The course of remediation will address denials of rights at the Industrias del Interior facility in the state of Aguascalientes.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the United States Trade Representative have announced that a U.S. delegation will travel to Bangkok, Thailand, from September 10-16 for the fifth negotiating round of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). In Bangkok, the IPEF partners will continue to make progress on negotiations towards high-standard outcomes under Pillars I (Trade), III (Clean Economy), and IV (Fair Economy).

The USTR is mandated by law to annually report to Congress on Russia's implementation of WTO agreements, including agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Intellectual Property Rights, as well as its progress towards acceding to the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). The USTR is currently soliciting public comments for this year's report to gauge Russia's compliance with the commitments made during accession. Specific areas of interest include import and export regulations, subsidies, standards, sanitary measures, intellectual property rights, government procurement, rule of law issues, trade facilitation, and other WTO commitment

The Administration is expecting a panel decision in a dispute with Canada over its dairy policy under US-Mexico-Canada Agreement later this summer or early fall, Chief US Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip said Wednesday. The Administration remains “laser focused” on the issue and will keep up the pressure until US dairy producers have the full retail access to Canada’s market promised in the USMCA, he stated. “This battle is not over.”

The Administration is concerned about the potential threat posed by China’s growing electric vehicles industry, Brian Janovitz, chief counsel for China Trade Enforcement at the US Trade …

The top US and European Union trade officials had a “direct and candid” discussion yesterday on negotiations to create an agreement governing steel and aluminum trade. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis met in Brussels as the two sides seek to reach agreement on the proposed Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum by October.

The U.S. Trade Representative has to submit a report to Congress regarding the operation of the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) on or before December 31, 2023. The deadline for the submission of written comments is 11:59 EDT on August 18, 2023.

The United States and Mexico announced a course of remediation to address denials of rights at the Goodyear facility in the city and state of San Luis Potosí. The announcement marks the fourth time the United States and Mexico have agreed on a formal course of remediation under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)’s Facility-Specific Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM).   The July 19th announcement follows a request the United States sent to Mexico on May 22, 2023, asking Mexico to review whether Goodyear was failing to provide workers with the beneficial terms of an existing sector-wide agreement (contrato ley) in place for the rubber manufacturing industry.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has implemented adjustments to the ten-digit statistical reporting categories in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). These alterations impact two exclusions reinstated in association with the Section 301 investigation into China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation, originally outlined at 87 FR 17380 (March 28, 2022).

The third negotiation round of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) began last week in Singapore. Participants aim to make significant progress throughout the year. Acting Assistant US Trade …

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) continues her crusade to highlight the ability of major technology corporations  to unduly influence ongoing negotiations on digital trade under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. May 2 the senator released an investigative report prepared by her staff charging that “BigTech” is using “revolving door hires to gain backdoor access to key US Trade Representative and Commerce Department officials to prevent new regulations that could curb monopolies.

Sushan Demirjian is the new Assistant US Trade Representative for Small Business, Market Access and Industrial Competitiveness, USTR announced yesterday. She has served at USTR since 2007, most …

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement announced a report detailing actions taken to address workers' rights allegations at the Unique Fabricating facility in Querétaro, Mexico.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and six of her colleagues have sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, expressing concerns about the impact of including skewed digital trade rules in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The lawmakers argue that these rules could hinder the U.S. government's ability to promote competition, regulate AI, and protect consumer and worker privacy. They are also urging the USTR to prioritize transparency during IPEF negotiations.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released the 2023 Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners’ intellectual property (IP) rights protection …

The Administration may soon reach agreement on an “early harvest” in its ongoing trade negotiations with Taiwan, Deputy US Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi said last week. Negotiations on the US-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative began last June and “we hope to conclude an early harvest soon,” she told a conference.

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai defended the Administration trade policy yesterday against criticisms that the White House is failing to open new markets by eschewing traditional comprehensive free trade agreements. Instead, the Administration’s focus on a worker-centered trade policy and investment in advanced manufacturing and infrastructure to create new jobs is a better fit for today’s world, Ms. Tai told the audience at the American University Washington College of Law.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Congressional Budget Justification, detailing the agency's budgetary needs and priorities for the coming year. FY 24 payroll is expected to be 23 percent higher than two years prior, while travel at $8.6 million is nearly three times that of FY 22.

The US and Mexico today announced a course of remediation to address repeated denials of rights at a Troy Michigan-based VU Manufacturing’s automotive components facility in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, three miles from the US border.

A US-Mexico-Canada Agreement workshop focused on ongoing efforts to mitigate marine litter and ghost nets in Mexico concluded yesterday in Mexico City according to a readout from the US Trade …