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Trump Posts Tariff Letters To Reluctant Trade Partners

President Trump and Commerce Secretary Lutnick at Mr. Lutnick's swearing-in event.
The White House pressed 14 trade partners to come to the table or face slightly adjusted versions of the "reciprocal tariff" rates announced back in April through a flurry of letters posted to President Donald Trump’s social media account Monday afternoon.
International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands
Sanctions published last week by OFAC effectively weaponize access to cloud platforms, identity systems, and communication tools, highlighting the vulnerability of global institutions reliant on U.S.-based digital infrastructure.
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Awaiting BIS 50% Rule, Industry Girds for Compliance Seachange

Compliance professionals would do well to take their summer holidays early this year, before the Bureau of Industry and Security drops its anticipated “50% Rule,” a move set to multiply the roughly 3,000 entities currently subject to export licensing requirements with the stroke of a pen.

Export Controls on China Lifted

The US - China trade understanding, reached in Geneva in May and "finalized" June 24 appears to have defused the tit-for-tat escalation of restrictions on rare earths exports from China and countermeasures from Washington restricting exports of US technology and commodities. 

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The Washington Tariff and Trade Letter introduces a web-based format for easier review, research and sharing.  Clicking on a story in the newsletter will now bring you to the full text on our new web site. A .pdf version of the newsletter is available below.   For any questions about website access and your subscription, please contact us at Info@TradeRegs.com – Or call the Editor, Frank Ruffing, at +1.703.283.5220

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Vol 45 No. 27 July 7 2025

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The Brazil letter deviates sharply from the form letters he is sending to other trading partners assigning them tariffs rates.

President Blasts Brazil with 50pct Tariffs

President Trump said Wednesday he will hit Brazil with a 50 percent “reciprocal” tariff, partly out of anger over the criminal prosecution of former Brazilian President Bolsonaro.

New Whistleblower Program for Postal Crimes

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, in partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, has launched a new Whistleblower Rewards Program to encourage individuals to report postal-related antitrust violations.
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CFIUS
Smithfield Foods, now part of China’s WH Group, accounts for more than 25% of U.S. pig production

USDA Moves to Curb Foreign Ownership of U.S. Farmland

As part of its newly released National Farm Security Action Plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a series of measures to limit foreign ownership of American farmland, citing national security concerns.

U.S. Presses for FAO Reform

Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Michelle Bekkering led the U.S. delegation to the 44th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, urging …
The animals trafficked included baby chimpanzees, cheetahs, lions, and tigers, all of which are protected under both the Endangered Species Act and international treaties.

Chimp Smuggler Sentenced

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari and a figure featured in a popular Netflix documentary, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and laundering over $500,000. The charges stem from the illegal sale of endangered wildlife — including chimpanzees, lions, cheetahs, and tigers — and laundering funds believed to be tied to migrant smuggling.
Gaza Strip, Zeytoun district. The ICRC distributes drinking water to the inhabitants (Feb 2025).

In Wake of Cuts, Humanitarian Agencies Reel

The international humanitarian sector is entering a period of acute contraction as the Trump administration signals a retreat from longstanding U.S. support for global aid operations. While needs reach historic levels — with over 122 million people forcibly displaced — the world’s major relief agencies are warning of catastrophic funding shortfalls.
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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Trump administration is preparing to restrict exports of advanced AI chips to Malaysia and Thailand, aiming to block the transshipment of U.S. semiconductors to China, according to people familiar with a draft Commerce Department rule reported by Bloomberg.
President Trump's unconventional approach to geo economics and diplomacy approaches fever pitch as the July 9 deadline for reaching trade agreements with over 170 countries looms.
The legislation newly designates metallurgical coal, used in steelmaking, as a critical mineral eligible for the Section 45X production credit,
President Trump signed into law the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1) on July 4, enacting sweeping reforms to energy tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and imposing stringent new restrictions on foreign ownership and influence over eligible projects.
Cotton is by far the largest U.S. Agricultural Export to Vietnam, followed by soybeans and dairy products. Above, Vegetable market, Hanoi
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States has concluded a new bilateral trade agreement with Vietnam, establishing a two-tiered tariff system for Vietnamese exports and duty-free access for U.S. goods entering the Vietnamese market.
Fresh off Capitol Hill, Mayur Patel spent the last five years as chief international trade counsel for the Senate Finance Committee, most recently working closely with the White House on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Export Practitioner called him for a quick chat on his first day in-office as Hogan Lovells' newest international trade partner.

U.S. Trade Deficit Widens to $71.5 Billion in May on Sharp Drop in Exports

The U.S. international trade deficit in goods and services rose to $71.5 billion in May, an increase of $11.3 billion from April’s revised figure of $60.3 billion, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

President Trump boarding Marine One

Write a Letter

President Trump announced that, overwhelmed by the scale and complexity of negotiating individual trade deals with over 170 countries, his administration will begin issuing unilateral tariff notices to U.S. trading partners starting July 4. The letters will specify new U.S. tariff rates on imports from each country, with rates taking effect on August 1.
Remotely operated vehicle traverses over an extensive field of ferromanganese nodules that form the bulk of the hard seafloor substrate.

NOAA Overhaul of Seabed Mining Licensing Rules

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a proposed rule to modernize U.S. regulations governing deep seabed mining under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), marking the first major revision to the licensing process since the 1980s. The proposed changes, scheduled for publication in the Federal Register, include a streamlined application process and updated technical requirements reflecting decades of technological advancement.

More Iran Oil Sanctions

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on a global network of entities and individuals facilitating billions of dollars in illicit Iranian oil sales, including smuggling operations benefiting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

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