OTEXA: Announcements - Office of Textile & Apparel
[03/18/2022] –The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on behalf of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), will hold a virtual public hearing on April 8, 2022 on the use of forced labor in China and potential measures to prevent the importation of goods made with such labor. In January, the FLETF had requested comments from the public, as required by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (Federal Register notice 87 FR 3567). Members of the public interested in providing public testimony at the hearing must register here by March 30. See Federal Register notice 87 FR 14785 for more details about the hearing.
[03/18/2022] – Effective March 14, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining merchandise produced or manufactured by Li-Ning Sporting Goods at all U.S. ports of entry. This enforcement action is the result of a CBP investigation indicating Li-Ning Sporting Goods uses North Korean labor in its supply chain. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) prohibits the entry of goods, wares, and articles mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in party by North Korean nationals or North Korean citizens anywhere in the world, unless clear and convincing evidence is provided that such goods were not made with forced labor. For more details, see the CBP Press Release and CBP’s CAATSA FAQs.
[03/22/2022] - Comments are requested regarding the development of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework to deepen economic relations in the region and coordinate approaches to address global economic challenges. The U.S. Department of Commerce is seeking public comments on key areas of interest, including: digital and emerging technologies; supply chain resilience; infrastructure, decarbonization, and clean energy; and tax and anti-corruption—see Federal Register notice 87 FR 13971 . The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking public comments on U.S. interests and priorities in order to develop negotiating objectives and positions and identify potential partners--see Federal Register notice 87 FR 13789 . Comments must be submitted on or before April 11, 2022.
[03/24/2022] - The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced the reinstatement of certain previously granted and extended product exclusions in the Section 301 Investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The determination reinstates 352 of the 549 eligible exclusions. The reinstated product exclusions will apply as of October 12, 2021, and extend through December 31, 2022. For more information and product details, see the Federal Register notice.
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Federal Register Notices:
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Frozen Fish Fillets From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Final Determination of No Shipments; 2019-2020
• Oil Country Tubular Goods From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Changed Circumstances Reviews
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Toner Supply Containers and Components Thereof (I); Notice of Request for Submissions on the Public Interest
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Organic Soybean Meal From India: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination
• Stainless Steel Plate in Coils From South Africa: Final Results of the Expedited Fourth Five-Year Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order
• Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Organic Soybean Meal From India: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Heavy Walled Rectangular Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and Tubes From Korea, Mexico, and Turkey
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Coated Paper Suitable for High-Quality Print Graphics Using Sheet-Fed Presses From Indonesia: Final Results of Expedited Second Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate From Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the People's Republic of China, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Taiwan, and the Republic of Turkey: Final Results of the Expedited Sunset Reviews of the Antidumping Duty Orders
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Lemon Juice From Argentina; Scheduling of a Full Five-Year Review
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Knitted Footwear; Notice of a Commission Determination Not To Review an Initial Determination Granting a Motion To Amend the Complaint and Notice of Investigation
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FACT SHEET: Act Now to Protect Against Potential Cyberattacks - White House
The Biden-Harris Administration has warned repeatedly about the potential for Russia to engage in malicious cyber activity against the United States in response to the unprecedented economic sanctions we have imposed. There is now evolving intelligence that Russia may be exploring options for potential cyberattacks.
The Administration has prioritized strengthening cybersecurity defenses to prepare our Nation for threats since day one. President Biden’s Executive Order is modernizing the Federal Government defenses and improving the security of widely-used technology. The President has launched public-private action plans to shore up the cybersecurity of the electricity, pipeline, and water sectors and has directed Departments and Agencies to use all existing government authorities to mandate new cybersecurity and network defense measures. Internationally, the Administration brought together more than 30 allies and partners to cooperate to detect and disrupt ransomware threats, rallied G7 countries to hold accountable nations who harbor ransomware criminals, and taken steps with partners and allies to publicly attribute malicious activity.
We accelerated our work in November of last year as Russian President We accelerated our work in November of last year as Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated his aggression ahead of his further invasion of Ukraine with extensive briefings and advisories to U.S. businesses regarding potential threats and cybersecurity protections. The U.S. Government will continue our efforts to provide resources and tools to the private sector, including via CISA’s Shields-Up campaign and we will do everything in our power to defend the Nation and respond to cyberattacks. But the reality is that much of the Nation’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and the private sector must act to protect the critical services on which all Americans rely.
We urge companies to execute the following steps with urgency:
• Mandate the use of multi-factor authentication on your systems to make it harder for attackers to get onto your system;
• Deploy modern security tools on your computers and devices to continuously look for and mitigate threats;
• Check with your cybersecurity professionals to make sure that your systems are patched and protected against all known vulnerabilities, and change passwords across your networks so that previously stolen credentials are useless to malicious actors;
• Back up your data and ensure you have offline backups beyond the reach of malicious actors;
• Run exercises and drill your emergency plans so that you are prepared to respond quickly to minimize the impact of any attack;
• Encrypt your data so it cannot be used if it is stolen;
• Educate your employees to common tactics that attackers will use over email or through websites, and encourage them to report if their computers or phones have shown unusual behavior, such as unusual crashes or operating very slowly; and
• Engage proactively with your local FBI field office or CISA Regional Office to establish relationships in advance of any cyber incidents. Please encourage your IT and Security leadership to visit the websites of CISA and the FBI where they will find technical information and other useful resources.
We also must focus on bolstering America’s cybersecurity over the long term. We encourage technology and software companies to:
• Build security into your products from the ground up — “bake it in, don’t bolt it on” — to protect both your intellectual property and your customers’ privacy.
• Develop software only on a system that is highly secure and accessible only to those actually working on a particular project. This will make it much harder for an intruder to jump from system to system and compromise a product or steal your intellectual property.
• Use modern tools to check for known and potential vulnerabilities. Developers can fix most software vulnerabilities — if they know about them. There are automated tools that can review code and find most coding errors before software ships, and before a malicious actor takes advantage of them.
• Software developers are responsible for all code used in their products, including open source code. Most software is built using many different components and libraries, much of which is open source. Make sure developers know the provenance (i.e., origin) of components they are using and have a “software bill of materials” in case one of those components is later found to have a vulnerability so you can rapidly correct it.
• Implement the security practices mandated in the President’s Executive Order, Improving our Nation’s Cybersecurity. Pursuant to that EO, all software the U.S. government purchases is now required to meet security standards in how it is built and deployed. We encourage you to follow those practices more broadly.
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Chain Saw Chain and Blade Importer to Pay Over $500,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations - Department of Justice
TriLink Saw Chain, LLC, and TriLink Global, LLC (TriLink), nationwide importers of chain saw chains and blades manufactured in China and intended for sale in the United States, have agreed to pay $525,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by misclassifying their imported chain saw chains and blades to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP).
The government specifically alleged that from September 24, 2018, though June 10, 2019, TriLink classified imported chain saw chains and blades under inappropriate subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. The government further alleged that TriLink’s false classification of the imported chain saw chains and blades during that time period resulted in nonpayment of applicable tariffs due and owing to the United States pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
“False classification of imported goods deprives the United States of tariffs that are due and owing under the law and results in unfair competition against law-abiding companies,” said Timothy Duax, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. “We will continue to work with our federal partners to hold importers accountable to ensure that they do not avoid payment to the United States.”
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, the Chicago Director of Field Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated, “This is a prime example of the vigilance of our CBP employees, and our use of a whole of government approach. Entities that attempt to defraud the U.S. Government, the American people, and our economy will not succeed.”
This civil matter arose from an action brought under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Pursuant to that Act and the settlement agreement, the whistleblower will share in the United States’ financial recovery.
The claims asserted against TriLink are allegations only; there was no determination or admission of liability.
The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew K. Gillespie and Jacob A. Schunk and was investigated in coordination with USCBP.
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Philadelphia CBP Officers Discover 18 Pounds of Cocaine from Jamaica in Airplane Cargo Hold - US Customs & Border Protecti
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Philadelphia routinely examine the cargo holds of aircraft that arrive from overseas locations, and most times officers find nothing unusual. That changed on Tuesday when CBP officers found 18 pounds of cocaine in the cargo hold of a passenger flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica at Philadelphia International Airport.
CBP officers met the American Airlines flight as it gated, observed the aircraft baggage offload, and then climbed into the cargo hold to conduct a routine examination. That’s when CBP narcotics detector dog Dasha immediately alerted to an access panel.
CBP officers opened the access panel and discovered three bags that shouldn’t be there. Two gray Puma brand drawstring bags collectively contained eight wrapped bricks of a white powdery substance. CBP officers used a narcotics test kit and a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool and identified the substance as cocaine hydrochloride. The third bag, a plain blue duffle bag, was empty.
CBP officers seized the cocaine, which weighed a combined 8.246 kilograms, or about 18 pounds, three ounces. The cocaine has an approximate street value of about $580,000.
No arrests have been made. An investigation continues.
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USITC To Investigate U.S.-Haiti Trade and the Impact of U.S. Preference Programs - U.S. International Trade Commission
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is undertaking a new factfinding investigation on U.S.-Haiti trade and the impact of U.S. trade preference programs on Haiti’s economy and workers. The Commission’s report will provide an overview of Haiti’s international trade since 1980, with special emphasis of the impact of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act of 2006, HOPE II in 2008, and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) in 2010, and the Trade Acts of 2000 and 2002 on Haiti’s trading relationship with the United States, Haiti’s economy, and workers.
The investigation, U.S.-Haiti Trade: Impact of U.S. Preference Programs on Haiti’s Economy and Workers, Inv. No. 332-590, was requested by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means (Committee) in a letter received on February 22, 2022. The Committee noted in its letter that the HOPE and HELP preference programs will expire on September 30, 2025.
As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will prepare a public report for the Committee. The report will provide, to the extent practicable:
• an overview of the Haitian economy and its competitiveness;
• an examination of the role of U.S. preference programs in shaping Haiti’s economy; and
• case studies on goods currently and historically exported from Haiti such as apparel, tropical fruits, and sporting goods, including baseballs, softballs, and basketballs.
The USITC expects to submit its report to the Committee by December 22, 2022.
The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation via an online video conference platform, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on May 26, 2022. More detailed information about the hearing, including how to participate, will be posted on the Commission’s website no later than April 22, 2022, at https://usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/what_we_are_working_on.htm.
Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on May 4, 2022 with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. See below for important information regarding filing a request to appear at a USITC hearing.
The USITC also welcomes written submissions for the record. Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission and should be submitted no later than 5:15 p.m. on June 23, 2022. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection. See below for important information regarding the filing of written submissions for USITC investigations.
IMPORTANT: All filings to appear at the hearing and written submissions must be made through the Commission’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice. Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (EDIS3Help@USITC.gov), or consult the Commission’s Handbook on Filing Procedures.
Further information on the scope of the investigation is available in the USITC’s notice of investigation, dated March 22, 2022, which can be downloaded from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at commissionhearings@usitc.gov.
About these investigations: USITC general factfinding investigations, such as these, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission’s objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons