Robert Lighthizer Archives

US Court of International Trade orders second look at China tariffs

April 5, 2022 — The U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) has ordered the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to take a second look at its decision making on thousands of Section 301 tariffs levied against Chinese goods.

The 71-page decision by the court, released 1 April, 2022, stems from a lawsuit filed in 2020 by a company that specializes in vinyl flooring. Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.A.-based HMTX Industries and its affiliated companies filed a complaint with the CIT challenging the authority of former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and the “unlawful escalation” of the trade war with China.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Lawsuit involving US seafood companies seeks to end, refund tariffs on Chinese goods

May 26, 2021 — A lawsuit filed by a company specializing in vinyl flooring against the U.S. Section 301 tariffs on goods from China has led to a slew of other American companies following suit.

Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.A.-based HMTX Industries and its affiliated companies filed a complaint at the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) in September 2020 that challenges the authority of former U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer. The lawsuit focuses specifically on the “unlawful escalation” of the trade war “through the imposition of a third and fourth round of tariffs on products covered by so-called ‘List 3’ and ‘List 4A,’” the lawsuit states.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Joint Statement of the United States and the European Union on a Tariff Agreement

August 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative:

United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and European Union Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan today announced agreement on a package of tariff reductions that will increase market access for hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. and EU exports. These tariff reductions are the first U.S.-EU negotiated reductions in duties in more than two decades.

Under the agreement, the EU will eliminate tariffs on imports of U.S. live and frozen lobster products. U.S. exports of these products to the EU were over $111 million in 2017. The EU will eliminate these tariffs on a Most Favored Nation (MFN) basis, retroactive to begin August 1, 2020. The EU tariffs will be eliminated for a period of five years and the European Commission will promptly initiate procedures aimed at making the tariff changes permanent. The United States will reduce by 50% its tariff rates on certain products exported by the EU worth an average annual trade value of $160 million, including certain prepared meals, certain crystal glassware, surface preparations, propellant powders, cigarette lighters and lighter parts. The U.S. tariff reductions will also be made on an MFN basis and retroactive to begin August 1, 2020.

“As part of improving EU-US relations, this mutually beneficial agreement will bring positive results to the economies of both the United States and the European Union. We intend for this package of tariff reductions to mark just the beginning of a process that will lead to additional agreements that create more free, fair, and reciprocal transatlantic trade,” said Ambassador Lighthizer and Commissioner Hogan.

Timeline on Negotiations:

In 2019, at the direction of President Donald J. Trump, the United States completed formal procedures necessary to launch negotiations on a trade agreement, as did the European Commission.

In September 2018, as required by the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, Ambassador Lighthizer consulted with members of Congress on the Trump Administration’s interest in launching trade negotiations with the EU. On October 16, 2018, the Office of the United States Trade Representative officially notified Congress that President Trump intended to launch trade negotiations with the EU. On January 11, 2019, following consultations with Congress and public comment period from U.S. stakeholders, the Trump Administration issued formal U.S. negotiating objectives for the EU.

The agreement being announced today arose out of continuing engagement with the EU on these issues.

EU drops tariffs on US lobster

August 21, 2020 — The European Union will immediately eliminate its tariffs on imports of U.S. live and frozen lobster products, according to an announcement from the United States Trade Representative’s office.

An agreement struck between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and European Union Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan on Friday, 21 August will result in the E.U. eliminating the lobster tariffs on a Most-Favored Nation basis, retroactive to 1 August, 2020. In return, the United States will reduce by 50 percent its tariffs on a variety of products including prepared meals, glassware, propellant powders, cigarette lighters, and other products collectively valued at around USD 160 million (EUR 135.7 million). The U.S. tariff reductions will also be made on a Most-Favored Nation basis and are retroactive to 1 August.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NFI’s Robert DeHaan takes a seat on the US Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee

July 21, 2020 — National Fisheries Institute (NFI) Vice President for Government Affairs Robert DeHaan has been appointed to the U.S. Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee.

DeHaan’s appointment was announced by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on 17 July. As a part of the committee, DeHaan will provide advice to the government on trade policy matters such as the operation of existing trade agreements and the negotiation of news ones, NFI said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Robert DeHaan Appointed to U.S. Trade Advisory Committee

July 17, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer today announced the appointment of Robert DeHaan to the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee that covers trade in animal products. DeHaan is the Vice President for Government Affairs at the National Fisheries Institute.

Advisory committees provide advice to the Government on trade policy matters, including the operation of existing trade agreements and the negotiation of new ones.

“This is a great opportunity for the seafood community to have a seat at the table where trade decisions are made,” said DeHaan. “I’m thrilled to be able to bring our industry’s perspective and guidance to the people in charge of trade policy.”

\Before joining NFI in 2011, DeHaan served as Special Counsel to the Deputy U.S. Trade Representative as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Bob knows his way around government and trade. This appointment is tailor made for his assets,” said NFI President John Connelly. “We are pleased that those responsible for carrying out U.S. trade policy as it relates to such an important part of our economy will have him as a resource.”

DeHaan will serve on the Advisory Committee until 2024.

US proposes tariffs on European Union goods, seafood products considered

April 9, 2019 — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday, 8 April, it will consider adding new tariffs on products from the European Union, and seafood imports are on the list for potential duties.

The action stems from a World Trade Organization ruling that stated E.U. illegally subsidized airplane-maker Airbus, creating an unfair trade advantage. As a result of that ruling, the U.S. is contemplating tariffs on USD 11 billion (EUR 9.76 billion) in goods from the 28 member nations in the union.

“The E.U. has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years,” President Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning. “It will soon stop!”

The announcement from Office of the U.S. Trade Representative gives a list of nine products from four E.U. members. The products include helicopters, aircraft, fuselages, and associated parts originating from France, Germany, Spain, and Great Britain.

However, a second list of products the Trade Representative is considering includes products from all member nations. The products include salmon fillets, swordfish steaks, crabmeat, clams, scallops, and other seafood items.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

At Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Sen. Angus King lauds fishing industry

March 4, 2019 — U.S. Senator Angus King commended the work of the men and women in Maine’s fishing industry at the Maine Fisherman’s Forum in Rockport today, listening first-hand to the priorities and concerns of Maine fishermen from around the state.

“Here in Maine, generations of families have made their living at sea, and they have helped shape the traditions, culture, and economy of our state,” King said, in a news release. “The Maine Fishermen’s Forum is a wonderful way to celebrate our rich fishing heritage and to come together to put Maine’s collective expertise in the industry to work. With the increased communication and mutual understanding we solidified today, the Maine fishing industry is better positioned to further it’s important role for our state. It was an honor to speak with so many Maine men and women today whose hard work drives the economy and helps support families and communities up and down the coast.”

This week, Senator King and the rest of the Maine delegation wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer, calling on him to make the lobster industry a priority in the ongoing trade negotiations with the Chinese government.

Read the full story at the Penobscot Bay Pilot

National Fisherman: Tax to Grind

November 2, 2018 — Everyone is talking tariffs. First it was anticipation, and now we’re in reality check, keeping an eye on the long-term consequences.

My first instinct with the tariffs was to gather information and watch what happens. There’s no denying our federal government is in fickle hands. The tariffs could have been canceled as easily and swiftly as they were declared. So wait and see seemed the best course of action.

Of course, I’m not a fisherman, processor or retailer. Wait and see is a luxury for me. And now it’s also a luxury for the purveyors of many itemized seafood products that have been granted dispensation from the tariffs.

As the deadline inched closer this summer, fisheries with decent lobbying power began to appeal to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to get a pass for their product — meaning the United States would not add a tariff to those products being sold into Chinese markets (most of which are already taxed as exports). In the case of U.S. seafood products being processed in China and reimported to the U.S. market, the government also granted a waiver on Chinese import taxes for some products.

The result was good for many stakeholders — they got the pass they need to stay competitive. But fisheries that don’t have access to Capitol Hill are left out there alone to bear the brunt of the tariffs on their own. They are now the guinea pigs for the whole industry.

Read the full editorial at National Fisherman

Tariffs could harm NW fishing industry in markets on both sides of the Pacific

September 24, 2018 — First, it was Washington wheat farmers and apple growers. Then it was regional wineries. And now, Pacific Northwest seafood companies are getting sucked into the escalating trade war between the Trump administration and China.

The fleet that fishes in the North Pacific, much of it based in Puget Sound, was first caught up in the fight in July, when China imposed sweeping sanctions on many U.S. imports, including virtually all seafood. The immediate risk was clear: China’s tariffs threatened to block access to what many believe will become the world’s largest consumer market for seafood products.

But now there’s a new risk: a Trump administration trade policy that was meant to punish the Chinese, but which could end up making American seafood more expensive for American consumers — a bizarre outcome that could expose the Northwest’s seafood industry to trade-war damage both at home and abroad.

That risk became clear on Monday, when Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, released a list of some 5,700 imported Chinese food products that will be hit by heavy new tariffs. Among them, roughly $2.7 billion in imported Chinese seafood items—everything from salmon and flounder to sole and snow crab.

Read the full story at The Seattle Times