Executive Order -- Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on Friday, December 26, 2014
By the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America, by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. All executive branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Friday, December 26, 2014, the day after Christmas Day, except as provided in section 2 of this order.
Sec. 2. The heads of executive branch departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on December 26, 2014, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.
Sec. 3. Friday, December 26, 2014, shall be considered as falling within the scope of Executive Order 11582 of February 11, 1971, and of 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) and other similar statutes insofar as they relate to the pay and leave of employees of the United States.
Sec. 4. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall take such actions as may be necessary to implement this order.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
BARACK OBAMA
Port of New York and New Jersey Holiday Schedule
Container terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey will close on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but will be open for regular hours on Friday, Dec. 26
AD/CVD Scam Alert
U.S. Customs & Border Protection / http://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/adcvd/scam-alert
Did You Receive an Email Offering a "Solution" to Avoid Antidumping Duties?
Sample text of scam email:
Dear purchasing manager,
We have been exporting for many years from China, especially USA and Canada. If you need this product, please tell me, so I can quote you.
Please do not worry about the dumping duties. This order will be operated through the intermediary trade. We will send the goods to a third country; the forwarder will repack our goods for export with other company title from that third country. It is a legit business.
Contact Us,
Sales Representative
________________________________________________________________
THIS IS A VIOLATION OF U.S. LAW.
KNOWINGLY ENGAGING IN ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO EVADE THE PAYMENT OF ANTIDUMPING OR COUNTERVAILING DUTIES IS A FEDERAL CRIME. VIOLATIONS INVOLVING DUTY EVASION MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES.
See for yourself:
Report antidumping scams to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at:
Planning Your Trip Across the Border Just Got Easier
WASHINGTON—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today launched the Border Wait Time app making it easier for travelers to plan their trip across the border. The app provides estimated wait times and open lane status at land ports of entry allowing travelers to make an informed decision of where and when to cross the border. Wait times for pedestrian and passenger and commercial vehicle crossings are broken down by lane type (standard, SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, Ready Lane, etc.). Travelers can download the app for free from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
“CBP continues to deploy technology that enhances the travel experience at all of our ports of entry,” said Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske. “The launch of this app will provide travelers crossing the land border with more information when and where they need it.”
The app is a one-stop shop for cross border travel. Travelers can locate the three ports of entry closest to their location and then map the best route to the crossing of their choice. For example, the app allows travelers in the Buffalo, New York area to compare wait times at the Peace Bridge, Rainbow Bridge and Lewiston Queenston Bridge and will then direct them to whichever crossing they chose.
The app was developed by CBP and does not require individuals to register or provide any personal information. CBP does not store or have access to any information regarding travelers using the app.
The Border Wait Time app is just one example of CBP’s effort to create a traveler-friendly processing environment. CBP has deployed Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks to more than 25 airports, including most recently at preclearance locations in Edmonton, Canada and Aruba. Much like APC, CBP launched Mobile Passport Control, the first authorized app to expedite a traveler’s entry into the United States, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this summer. CBP has also enrolled more than three million travelers in trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI. These programs allow CBP officers to process travelers safely and efficiently while enhancing security and reducing operational costs.
USTIC: News Releases & Documents
U.S. International Commission / http://www.usitc.gov/
12/15/2014 - Guinea and Madagascar qualify for the textile and apparel benefits provided for under AGOA
12/15/2014 – International Trade Data System (ITDS) - New!
12/15/2014 – Notification of Annual Quantitative Limit for Certain Apparel under Haiti HOPE (Value-Added Quota) for 2014/2015 Annual Period. For the period December 20, 2014 through December 19, 2015, the annual quantitative limit of the Haiti HOPE Value-Added program is 332,915,916 square meter equivalents.
ITA: Press Releases
International Trade Administration / http://www.trade.gov/press/press-releases/
12/16/2014 Final Determinations in the Antidumping Duty (AD) and Countervailing Duty (CVD) Investigations of Imports of Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products from the People’s Republic of China (China) and Taiwan
12/15/2014 International Visitation Up Two Percent in September 2014
Trans-Atlantic Partnership Seeks to Crush Illegal Trade of Unsafe Vehicles
U.S. Customs & Border Protection / http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/2014-12-12-000000/trans-atlantic-partnership-seeks-crush-illegal-trade
NEWARK, New Jersey—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) destroyed an illegally imported and unsafe Mini Cooper Thursday at a salvage yard in New Jersey following a recent seizure at the Newark Seaport. CBP captured photos, b-roll and principal sound bites for use by news media.
This Mini is just one of dozens of vehicles intercepted at ports of entry across the U.S, including ports in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Jacksonville, Florida, Houston and Tacoma, Washington.
Over the past year, CBP has increased targeting and inspections of suspect imported vehicles, specifically Minis and Land Rover Defenders, as part of Operation Atlantic, a new trans-Atlantic partnership between U.S. and U.K. regulatory and law enforcement officials.
“Intercepting illegal and unsafe imports is a top priority for CBP,” said Brenda Smith, CBP’s assistant commissioner for International Trade. “Through Operation Atlantic, we are stopping illegally imported, unsafe vehicles from driving on our roadways, and at the same time, partnering with our colleagues in the UK to stop this criminal activity at its source.”
Launched in March 2014 by CBP’s Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center, U.S. and U.K. officials are working together to identify illegal shipments of vehicles at ports of entry across the U.S. and U.K. Following inspections of more than 500 vehicles, the operation has led to several criminal investigations in both countries.
CBP officials hosted their U.K. law enforcement counterparts at headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in Baltimore and Newark to discuss expanding the operation. Gordon Roberts, detective chief inspector of the U.K. Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, stated that “Operation Atlantic is one of the more important initiatives for our office, as it clearly demonstrates the significance and benefits of multilateral information exchanges in the enforcement of the laws of both our countries.”
These illegal vehicles are represented on import entry documents as being 25 years or older, but may be newer, illegally reconfigured vehicles, or even reconstructed from stolen vehicle parts. The vehicle identification numbers (VIN) have been fraudulently altered. These fraudulent actions attempt to use as cover exemptions within the statutes and regulations administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency that allow older vehicles to be imported without restriction.
“Safety is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s top priority and we are committed to preventing the illegal importation of vehicles and exposing their potential safety risks,” said Nancy Lewis, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration associate administrator for enforcement. “Along with our partners at CBP and CTAC, we’ll remain diligent in our enforcement efforts to protect the driving public.”
CBP officers from the New York Field Office working at the Newark Seaport seized the Mini Cooper June 9 because the VIN on the vehicle was fraudulent. “We will continue to work with our partners at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and in the United Kingdom to prevent the illegal import of vehicles that place the health and safety of the American public at risk, “said Leon Hayward, assistant director of field operations for trade cargo security at CBP’s New York Field Office.
CBP encourages buyers who suspect fraudulent activity to report the suspected trade violations via CBP’s e-Allegations website. All information submitted is voluntary and confidential.
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