Section 201 Safeguards on Washing Machines Extended, Revised

President Donald Trump extended and adjusted the Section 201 safeguards on washing machines, he said in a Jan. 14 proclamation. The tariff-rate quotas on washers and washer parts will continue for another two years with some changes, he said. The safeguards were put in place in January 2018 and were originally to last three years (see 1801230052).

The TRQs for washing machines will continue with “unchanging within-quota quantities, annual reductions in the rates of duties entered within those quantities in the fourth and fifth years, and annual reductions in the rates of duty applicable to goods entered in excess of those quantities in the fourth and fifth years,” Trump said. The TRQs on washing machine parts will continue with “increasing within-quota quantities and annual reductions in the rates of duty applicable to goods entered in excess of those quantities in the fourth and fifth years.”

Imports from Canada will continue to be excepted, as will goods from developing countries that are World Trade Organization members, he said. The exemptions for the WTO members will be dependent on the levels of imports from those countries, and the safeguards may be applied to those countries if a surge in imports is detected, Trump said. The specific duty amounts and TRQ changes will be detailed in the proclamation annex, which hasn't been released yet.