AAEI Publishes Tool for Trade in Event of Shutdown
A partial government shutdown looks more likely after the House rejected the Senate’s stopgap funding bill this week. Unless a last-minute deal is reached, the government will be forced to shut down for the fourth time in the last ten years. Government services that are deemed “essential” will remain open, others will be closed. The majority of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing at ports of entry are deemed essential and will therefore continue their normal operations with some delays. See AAEI’s chart of 2023 Government Shutdown Agency Information for highlights and links.
DHS Adds 3 More Entities to UFLPA Entity List
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) added three more entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List this week. The List identifies entities working with the government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to recruit, transport, transfer, harbor or receive forced labor or Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, or members of other persecuted groups out of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. See the updated UFLPA Entity List.
USTR Outlines Priorities for WTO Dispute Reform
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai discussed the need for reform in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement system during a speech last week at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Ambassador Tai emphasized that the goal was to ensure fairness in the system rather than merely restore the WTO’s Appellate Body, which was effectively halted during the Trump administration. Read the transcript of Ambassador Tai’s speech.
