Trade on CrossGov.com

Export Control Pressure Index Reads 33.9 as BIS Goes a Year Without an Entity List Addition and Beijing Keeps Countering

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Export Control Pressure Index, CrossGov.com’s new gauge of how hard Washington and Beijing are leaning on each other’s technology trade, reads 33.9 at the end of October 2026, in the Steady zone. The two halves of the reading point in opposite directions. On the US side the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security has gone more than a year without adding a single company to the Entity List. On the Chinese side the Commerce Ministry has kept answering every American move, and in October it went further than it ever has with a draft list that would put large AI models under export control.

Trump Executive Order 14436 on Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Executive Order 14436, signed by the President on September 18, 2026, implements sanctions against foreign persons and restrictions with respect to persons from Russia and other countries. The order increases duties on goods imported into the U.S. from these nations, except as waived under certain conditions, in response to national interests identified by the President.

Background

The Graham Act, signed into law on September 18, 2026, allows the President to waive certain sanctions, restrictions, and duties imposed by the act. Section 115 of the Graham Act permits the President to waive these provisions if they are deemed in the national interest after receiving a written certification from Congress explaining why such a waiver is necessary. In accordance with this authority, the President has waived the application of these measures provided for in the Graham Act and submitted a certification to Congress that the issuance of this waiver serves the nation’s interests.

FCC Votes to Bar Chinese Test Labs That Check 82 Percent of US Electronics by December 2028

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission voted on October 29 to stop recognizing test labs and certification bodies in countries that don’t give American labs the same treatment. China is the one that matters. From December 2028, a phone, laptop, router or camera that needs FCC approval before it can be sold in the United States can no longer be tested in a lab in mainland China.

That covers most of them. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says labs in China tested 82 percent of the devices that applied for FCC authorization in 2025. Labs inside the United States tested about 4 percent. The draft order counts 609 recognized labs worldwide, a quarter of them in China, and notes that in 2007 the split ran the other way: US labs handled about 31 percent of applications, Chinese labs about 13 percent.

USTR Warns the EU That a Record European Investment Bank Loan to Airbus Threatens the Aircraft Subsidy Truce

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on October 26, 2026, that a record European Investment Bank loan to Airbus “injects substantial uncertainty” into the US-EU aircraft truce, which has kept billions of dollars in tariffs suspended since 2021.

The statement is short. Greer said he had hoped “trade-distorting European subsidies to Airbus were a thing of the past.” He said France, Germany and Spain have long backed Airbus to give it an unfair edge over American aerospace workers. And he said USTR “still has no details about this loan” despite repeated requests. He asked for the matter to be settled “as soon as possible” so the large civil aircraft deal isn’t breached.

McConnell Joins Senators Demanding Trump Rescind the Russian Diesel License as the Graham Act Deadline Nears

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On October 13 a bipartisan group of senators wrote to the President demanding that he withdraw from his October 9 deal with Vladimir Putin, rescind Treasury’s General License 135 allowing Russian diesel imports, and use the new Russia sanctions law against Moscow and its backers, “especially China.” Signers include Republicans Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, and Democrats Richard Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen, Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jack Reed and Chris Coons.

Trade Court Certifies a Class for IEEPA Tariff Refunds, Putting About $30 Billion Owed to Small Importers in Play as DOJ Appeals

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Court of International Trade has certified a class of importers who paid the emergency tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act between February 1, 2025, and February 19, 2026, the day before the Supreme Court struck them down. Importers who have filed their own suits are excluded. The court held a closed conference with the parties on October 13, and proposed schedules are due on October 22.

Graham Act Tariff Deadline Is Days Away With No Country List, Rates or Waiver Published

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, signed on September 18, says the President “shall” raise duties on “all goods” from covered countries “to a rate of up to 100 percent ad valorem” within 30 days of enactment. That deadline falls around October 18 to 19. As of October 12, the White House, USTR and Treasury had published no list of countries, no rates and no waiver.

The law also requires a written justification to six congressional committees at least ten days before any duty takes effect, which pointed to about October 8. Whether one was sent privately hasn’t been disclosed.

Trump's Hostility to Solar Fights the Cheapest, Fastest Power America Can Build as Data Centers Push Demand Up

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’ll concede the obvious first. The US solar industry runs on Chinese supply chains, it grew up on tax credits, and some of the farmland arguments against giant solar fields are real ones that rural counties make for themselves. A President who wanted panels made in America and fewer subsidies would be on defensible ground. Much of what his trade officials have done on polysilicon and dumped panels sits on that ground.

US Shipbuilding Push Rides on the NDAA: SHIPS Act Provisions, a $20 Billion Trust Fund and Korea's $150 Billion Pledge

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The US builds less than 1% of the world’s new commercial ships, the White House says in its Maritime Action Plan, published in February 2026. Most of what the plan proposes to change that needs Congress, and the bill now carrying it is the stalled fiscal 2027 defense authorization act.

On October 9 the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department asked senators to sign a letter, led by Senators Todd Young and Mark Kelly and Representatives Trent Kelly and John Garamendi, urging congressional leaders to keep the SHIPS for America Act’s provisions in the final NDAA. The deadline to sign is October 16.

The Graham Russia Sanctions Act Takes Effect on October 19 as Trump Strikes a Diesel Deal With Putin

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On September 18 the President signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. It passed the Senate 86 to 11 and the House 262 to 159. Its main provisions take effect on October 19.

The law lets the President impose tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods, and of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil or gas, or the five biggest helpers in evading sanctions. It requires sanctions on Sberbank, VTB and Gazprombank, bans trading in some Russian securities, and adds sanctions on Rosatom, the state nuclear company, from 2028. Lifting the Russia measures requires a peace deal Ukraine accepts. The President can waive almost everything on national interest grounds.

Section 301 Forced Labor Tariffs on 60 Economies Face a Court of International Trade Test After the IEEPA Ruling

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On September 30 a three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade in New York heard the first major challenge to the tariffs that replaced the emergency tariffs struck down in February. The case, brought by importers including a spice company, Burlap & Barrel, and a watchmaker, Collective Horology, argues that the US Trade Representative stretched Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 beyond what Congress allowed.

The judges pressed the government on why USTR hadn’t considered the different development levels of the 60 economies covered. On October 2 the court ordered both sides to file more briefs answering its questions.

US Tariff Revenue Falls to $172 Billion in FY2026 as IEEPA Refunds Turn Customs Receipts Negative for Three Months

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

For three months in 2026, the US government collected less in customs duties than it paid back. Net customs receipts were minus $0.04 billion in May, minus $25.56 billion in June and minus $8.55 billion in July, according to Treasury’s monthly statements. In June alone, refunds reached $49.18 billion.

The refunds followed the Supreme Court’s ruling in February that the President couldn’t impose tariffs under the emergency powers law. Importers had paid about $166 billion under those tariffs. By September, Customs and Border Protection had certified about $122 billion in refunds, including interest.

Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs: $122 Billion in Refunds and the Section 301 and 232 Tariffs That Replaced Them

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act doesn’t give the President the power to impose tariffs. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority in Learning Resources v. Trump, decided together with V.O.S. Selections. Justices Kavanaugh, Thomas and Alito dissented.

The ruling knocked out the legal basis for most of the tariffs imposed since early 2025. Customs and Border Protection stopped collecting them on February 24. By then it had taken in about $166 billion from more than 330,000 importers.

DOE's LNG Export Approvals Pass 18.6 Bcf a Day as US Supplies a Quarter of the World Market and the EU's $750 Billion Pledge Lags

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Department of Energy has approved more than 18.6 billion cubic feet a day of new liquefied natural gas exports to countries without a US free trade agreement since January 2025, according to its own tally in March 2026. That’s more new export capacity than any administration has authorized in a comparable period.

The approvals followed the end of a pause. In January 2024 the Biden administration had stopped new non-FTA export approvals while DOE studied their economic and climate effects. The new administration lifted the pause on January 20, 2025.

US Economy in 2026: The Warsh Fed Raises Rates to 4% as Inflation Hits 3.4% and Job Growth Stalls at 29,000

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On September 16, 2026, the Federal Reserve raised its policy rate by a quarter point, to 3.75–4.00%. It was the first increase since July 2023, and the vote was 12 to 0. The Fed’s statement said inflation remained elevated. Its median projection pointed to one more hike before the end of the year.

Two weeks later, the September jobs report showed employers added just 29,000 jobs. July was revised to a loss of 10,000. Unemployment was 4.2%.

Project Vault Signs Glencore and Mercuria as the FORGE Critical Minerals Price Floor Agreement Stays Unsigned

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On September 23 Glencore and Mercuria became the first commodity traders to join Project Vault, the US critical minerals stockpile, committing $1 billion between them. Project Vault is backed by a $10 billion loan from the Export-Import Bank, the bank’s largest ever, plus about $2 billion of private money. It’s run by a private company, VaultCo, with EXIM as a non-voting board observer, and can buy any of the 60 minerals the US Geological Survey lists as critical. No purchases have been disclosed.

USTR's Port Fees on Chinese Ships Are Still Set to Return November 10, Though Treasury Says the Truce Runs to January

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Office of the US Trade Representative’s fees on Chinese-built and Chinese-operated ships are suspended only until 11:59 pm on November 9, 2026. That date is set in a USTR notice published last November. On September 23 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the wider US-China truce would run to January 10, 2027. USTR hasn’t published anything to match.

The two dates are now about two months apart. Shipping lines, importers and charterers are pricing voyages that will arrive after November 9, and the only legal text in force says the fees come back the next morning.

Section 232 Becomes the Main US Tariff Tool: Metals at 50%, Autos, Chips, Drones and Polysilicon Next

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 lets the Commerce Department investigate whether imports threaten national security and lets the President set tariffs if they do. Since the Supreme Court struck down the emergency tariffs in February 2026, it has become the administration’s main tariff tool. It now covers steel, aluminum, copper, cars, trucks, lumber, some semiconductors, patented drugs and drones, with polysilicon due in December.

The law suits the purpose. It needs no vote in Congress, has no time limit and sets no ceiling on rates. The courts have mostly deferred to the executive on what counts as national security.

FDA Becomes a Tool of Industrial Policy: Priority Vouchers, PreCheck and the 100% Pharma Tariff That Most Big Drugmakers Avoid

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On April 1, 2026, the FDA approved Eli Lilly’s Foundayo, an obesity pill, 50 days after the company filed. Standard reviews take about ten months. The speed came from a Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher, a program launched in June 2025 that promises reviews in one to two months for drugs the agency judges to serve national priorities. Two of the first nine vouchers went to products made in the US.

US-China Trade Truce Extended to January 10, 2027: What Each Side Has Suspended and What Is Still in Force

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On September 23, 2026, the day Xi Jinping arrived in Washington for a three-day state visit, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the trade truce between the two countries would be extended to January 10, 2027. The aim, he said, was to give both sides more time on the economic front. China’s Commerce Ministry confirmed the extension a few days later.

Two more months. The truce has become the operating system of US–China economic relations: a set of suspended threats, each with an expiry date, renewed just before they bite.

US Threatens to Pull Buy American Waivers as Europe Writes 'Buy European' Into Defense Spending

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On September 15, 2026, the United States sent EU lawmakers a paper warning that it “will review all potential response measures” if the EU writes a European preference into its next long-term budget. One of the measures on the table: rolling back the Buy American waivers that let European defense companies compete for Pentagon contracts.

Nineteen of the EU’s 27 member states have Reciprocal Defense Procurement agreements with the US. Under them, American buyers waive Buy American rules for those countries’ firms, and the countries do the same for US firms. Washington is now signaling that the deal works only if Europe keeps buying American too.

US-Japan Critical Minerals Pact Moves Toward Price Floors as China Squeezes Japan's Rare Earth Supply

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In March 2026, at a summit in Washington, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced a US–Japan action plan on critical minerals. It’s meant to be the basis for a binding agreement among several countries, with minimum prices for minerals enforced at the border, coordinated stockpiles and joint financing for mining and processing projects. The same summit added a memorandum on deep-sea rare earths near Japan’s Minamitorishima island and a second tranche of Japanese investment, up to $73 billion, including 13 critical mineral supply chain projects.