The American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) commends the Trump Administration for retreating from the initial high tariffs announced on April 1st and arriving at trade deals that are sensitive to business costs and provide some level of certainty to the economy.
AAEI remains concerned that hastily published executive communications with little operational details handicaps American businesses’ ability to comply with the new tariffs. Such detail is critical given that U.S. importers are operating in a new trade environment of heightened risks, penalties, and discovery. Clarity and predictability are necessary for American businesses’ to fully comply with trade policies.
AAEI calls for the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to take a deliberative and transparent approach to tariff deal implementation. The trade community is seeking clarity on how to apply some tariffs at the border. However, CBP has been unable to provide timely guidance to the trade due to the unclear tariff stacking, unclear transshipment rules, and the inability to reconcile executive communications with trade policy statutes and informed compliance procedures. Ultimately, the tariffs must be a means to an end.
AAEI will continue to work with the Trump Administration, CBP, the Department of Commerce, and Congress to provide technical guidance on tariff implementation and encourage the pursuit of cooperative trade relationships that advance open markets and strengthen economic growth.
