DOJ’s Trade Fraud Task Force has surpassed $1 billion in recoveries, penalties, forfeitures, and charged losses in under a year. Five customs False Claims Act resolutions announced in 2026 total $583.05 million.

Largest single expansion of the forced labor Entity List brings total to 187 entities and broadens CBP enforcement risk across multiple high-priority sectors.

In a decision issued July 30, 2026, the Federal Circuit affirmed that ten models of Richard Mille luxury wristwatches imported from Switzerland were properly classified under HTSUS heading 9102 rather than the lower-duty heading 9101.

USTR has formally implemented sweeping additional tariffs on imports from Brazil, confirming a 25 percent ad valorem surcharge on most Brazilian-origin goods for entries on or after July 22, 2026.

On July 23, 2026, USTR announced final action in its Section 301 forced-labor investigations, imposing new tariffs on imports from 60 economies, with additional duties effective 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 24, 2026.

On July 20, 2026, President Trump issued a new Section 232 proclamation layering an "onshoring" incentive on top of the already-escalated tariff regime for aluminum, offering eligible importers a reduced rate tied to new U.S. smelter capacity.

On July 20, 2026, President Trump issued three separate proclamations against Canada under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, imposing an additional 50% ad valorem duty on certain Canadian-origin motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages, and dairy.

CBP has issued guidance implementing new country-of-smelt and country-of-cast reporting requirements for imports of certain copper articles subject to Section 232 tariffs, effective July 30, 2026.

The United States has opened an aggressive new front in tariff policy, invoking Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to target roughly 60 economies over their alleged failure to enforce prohibitions on goods made with forced labor.

A revised Senate bill introduced on July 14, 2026, would impose sanctions and tariffs on Russia and on the largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas, authorizing secondary tariffs of up to 100 percent on China and India.

USTR heard a second day of testimony on July 8, 2026, in its Section 301 forced-labor investigation, with witnesses divided over proposed tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on imports from 59 countries and the European Union.

The 10 percent global import surcharge imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 is scheduled to expire by operation of law at 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 24, 2026, 150 days after it took effect.

On May 8, 2026, the government's appeal of the CIT's decision in State of Oregon v. United States was docketed at the Federal Circuit, testing whether Section 122's balance-of-payments authority supports the 10 percent temporary global tariff.

On June 29, 2026, the Department of Commerce initiated a new Section 232 investigation examining whether imports of anthracite coal and metallurgical bituminous coal threaten U.S. national security, publicly announced July 2.

On July 1, 2026, at the mandatory six-year joint review of the USMCA, the United States declined to agree to extend the deal for another 16-year term, starting a clock toward a potential July 1, 2036 expiration.

Speaking on CNBC on June 24, 2026, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted that if the Section 301 investigations now underway at USTR succeed, the resulting tariff rates will match the former IEEPA rates.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's remarks at the Economic Club of New York, titled "American Economic Statecraft in the 21st Century," confirm that Washington no longer views U.S. openness to trade and investment as unconditional.