Recently, US elected President Trump threatened that when he takes office one of his first orders will be a 25% import duty on all goods coming from MX into the US. The intention is to put pressure on Mexico to stop the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants.
On October 23, 2024, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls published proposed changes to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) affecting exports of spacecraft and launch vehicles and related activities. Subsequently the department extended the comment period from Nov. 22 to Dec. 23, 2024. The Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) of the Department of Commerce published corresponding proposed changes to the Export Administration Regulations on Oct. 23, 2024.
This article examines the constitutional authorities and various statutes that reserve tariff authorities for Congress and some legal authorities in which Congress has delegated tariff authorities to the President. The U.S. is a party to numerous multilateral and regional trade agreements that have binding tariff commitments that will be impacted as well.
Historically, trade agreements have focused on reducing barriers to trade—such as tariffs and quotas—while encouraging economic integration and growth. Environmental protection was often considered a separate issue, addressed primarily through national regulations or multilateral environmental agreements like the Paris Agreement. However, recent developments suggest that trade and environmental concerns are converging, with many new trade agreements incorporating specific environmental provisions.
President-elect Trump has repeatedly stated that he will increase tariffs. While it is unclear to what extent, while campaigning he proposed a 10% to 20% tariff on all imports and an additional 60% or more on goods from China.
One of the most anticipated decisions of the Supreme Court’s recent term was Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. While the specific underlying dispute in Loper Bright isn’t relevant to the trade community—did fishermen have to pay for government-mandated observers on their vessels?—the Court used this case to overturn the broadly applicable judicial deference test established in 1984 in Chevron U.S.A. Inc., v. Natural Resources Defense Council.
By: Judy Davis, Senior Trade Advisor, Braumiller Consulting Group In the global trade universe, where time holds huge importance, weak security practices in your international
Several tribunals and courts were established at various periods of America’s history to resolve trade-related litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and even the Supreme Court has played a significant role in these disputes. The jurisdiction and structure of these courts evolved as the complexities and volume of trade disputes grew.
On September 15th, 2024, the Mexican Congress published on the Diario Oficial de la Federacion (Mexican Official Gazette) a decree to amend, add, and abolish several provisions of the Mexican Constitution regarding the Judicial Power. This reform, as it is being called, is one of the major changes to the Mexican Judicial System and has been met with heated debates by opponents who fear it will put the balance and separation of power at risk as it will result in a weakened and deteriorated judicial system overpassed by the legislative and executive powers.
This is the second of a three-part series about the USMCA joint review process, focusing on China, Mexico, and competing visions of a “worker-centered” trade policy. Part one introduces the USMCA joint review process and explores how US trade policy would likely operate during Trump’s second term. Part two outlines some of the major trade issues that will be on the table during joint review, focusing on the Mexico-US relationship, and anticipates Harris’s likely approach to trade policy.
Mexico’s customs and foreign trade legal framework has evolved into a substance-based compliance model. Authorities now expect importers to demonstrate not only what was imported, but also why, under what legal relationship, and under what economic terms the transaction took place.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) that administers and enforces the ITAR also issues Advisory Opinions (AO). What the heck is an AO? If you come from a Customs compliance background you know about Customs rulings and may have applied for some. An AO is sort of like a Customs ruling in that it is a written interpretation of the regulations.
The MVE, which will be enforceable as of April 1, 2026, is a digital document integrated into Mexico’s Single Window for Foreign Trade (VUCEM – Ventanilla Única de Comercio Exterior) through which importers must declare the customs value of goods entering Mexico.
We have analyzed Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and how the GENIUS Act will permit regulation of payment stablecoins in prior articles. This article examines how decentralized organizations interact with stablecoin ecosystems and the synergies between organizational and payment infrastructure innovation.
In its usual fashion, Congress has allowed the tariff preferences for Haiti under the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to expire on September 30, 2025. Two bills passed the House with bipartisan majorities on January 12, 2026, to renew the tariff preferences retroactively to the date of expiration and then extend them to September 30, 2028. Both bills are now in the Senate Finance Committee awaiting action. This article examines the current status and likely outcomes of Senate review.
The October 17, 2025 Presidential Proclamation 10984 Adjusting Imports of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles, Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Parts, and Buses into the United States included a provision to self-declare certain auto and truck parts and components as being subject to the tariffs with certain requirements.
Let’s rewind to December 6, 2024. A deal more than 25 years in the making, covering over 700 million people and a combined GDP approaching $22 trillion, became realized. Since then, the agreement has made notable institutional progress while encountering renewed legal and political resistance that will shape its path to implementation. What’s happened recently?
Has BRICS finally produced an alternative to the “petrodollar” after twenty years? And does it live up to the hype? Depending on where you look online, key details are being left out. So, let’s slow down and review what’s actually happening.
As of 1/27/2026, India and the EU have finalized a free trade agreement described by both sides as the “mother of all deals” that slashes tariffs, opens markets, and creates a combined economic region of roughly two billion people. This FTA stands as one of the most consequential global trade realignments in years, driven in part by U.S. tariff pressure and a shift in strategy toward diversifying one’s supply chains.
For whatever reason, if you missed the spectacle created by President Trump on the world stage recently in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum, you really need to pay close attention now to the fall out. Top business executives in global economies were watching and probably also wondering just who the hell was going to stand-up to the U.S. pressure campaign, and that’s where Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stepped up to the mic and delivered a speech that sent shockwaves across continents.