CBP revenue collections will be among the Department of Homeland Security operations that will be exempt from an all-out agency stoppage in the event of a government shutdown, according to a Jan. 19 detailed contingency plan issued by DHS. Some 54,000 of the 59,000 CBP employees will be "exempt and estimated to be retained during a lapse in appropriations," DHS said. "These employees are exempt since they are Presidential appointees, law enforcement officers, funded by other than annual appropriations, or necessary for the protection of life and property." Government funding will stop after Jan. 19 unless legislators can reach a deal for a continuing resolution.

The Commerce Department published notice in the Jan. 18 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):

CBP released its Jan. 10 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 52, No. 2) and its Jan. 17 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 52, No. 3). The Jan. 10 edition contains the following ruling actions:

The National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing new regulations on the requirements and procedures of its planned Commerce Trusted Trader Program (CTTP) for high-risk seafood imports. Under the proposed rule, participating importers would have to maintain an “internal control system” of product tracing and verification and submit to annual third-party audits. In return, the importer would benefit from reduced entry filing requirements under the NMFS Seafood Import Monitoring Program, which took effect Jan. 1.

The Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission began five-year sunset reviews of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on utility scale wind towers from China (A-570-981/C-570-982) and large residential washers from South Korea (A-580-868/C-580-869), as well as the antidumping duty orders on utility scale wind towers from Vietnam (A-552-812), large residential washers from Mexico (A-201-842) and clad steel plate from Japan (A-588-838).

President Donald Trump directed the revocation of certain Generalized System of Preferences for Ukraine, added Argentina to GSP eligibility, and added The Gambia and Swaziland to African Growth and Opportunity Act eligibility in a proclamation on Dec. 22. The suspension of certain Ukrainian GSP benefits will take effect 120 days after the proclamation’s publication in the Federal Register. Argentina’s addition to GSP eligibility will take effect Jan. 1. Former President Barack Obama terminated Argentina’s GSP benefits in 2012 (see 12032738), and The Gambia’s and Swaziland’s AGOA benefits in 2014 (see 14062706 and 1412230060).

Customs brokers will be able to file their 2018 triennial reports and pay their broker license fees beginning on Dec. 15, CBP said in a CSMS message. The fees and reports, which must be filed by Feb. 28, may be submitted online via the website Pay.gov. The $100 fee may be paid by credit card, debit card, PayPal or Amazon Pay, with no additional transaction fees. Though the fees may also be paid in person or by mail at the port that originally delivered the license, CBP is actively encouraging brokers to use the electronic payment option, which allows brokers to “save time and submit online,” said Troy Riley, executive director for commercial targeting and enforcement at CBP, at a recent agency conference.

In the Nov. 29 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 51, No. 48), CBP published notices that propose to modify rulings and similar treatment for jibbitz charms.

In the Nov. 29 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 51, No. 48), CBP published notices that propose to revoke rulings and similar treatment for metal step stools and yttria stabilized zirconium oxide powder.

In the Nov. 29 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 51, No. 48), CBP published notices that propose to revoke rulings and similar treatment for automotive bumpers and decorative quartz rocks.