Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. The following have been issued since BP's most recent update:
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has preliminarily determined to revoke the antidumping (AD) duty order on extruded rubber thread from Malaysia for all entries with a time of entry on or after October 1, 2003, the first day of the most recent period of administrative review and the only period for which an administrative review has not been completed.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing that on December 23, 2003, the U.S. requested World Trade Organization (WTO) consultations with Egypt regarding the import duties that Egypt applies to textile and apparel products. The USTR believes that the duties Egypt actually applies (on a "per article" basis) greatly exceed the ad valorem bound rates that Egypt agreed to apply in the Uruguay Round of WTO negotiations.
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has posted to its Web site a notice detailing its next upcoming informational seminars entitled, Navigating the Regulations, which will be held in St. Louis, MO and Des Plaines, IL on April 6 & 8, 2004, respectively. The FMC states that these seminars provide an overview of the responsibilities of vessel operators, ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs) and maritime shipping services users in U.S. foreign trades.
On February 12, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its first version of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.
On November 11, 2003, President Bush signed into law the "Military Family Tax Relief Act of 2003" (Public Law (P.L.) 108-121) which, among other things, extended the Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF, both formal and informal) and the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) user fees through March 1, 2005.
Sources at the Bureau of Census (Census) have stated that the Costa Rican government has delayed implementation of a new requirement that exporters furnish a copy of the Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) or Automated Export System (AES) record for exports from the U.S. to Costa Rica. Prior to the delay, this new requirement was scheduled for implementation starting March 5, 2004.
According to government sources and the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is planning to detain certain knit-to-shape garments claiming a country of origin other than China, whose entry package claims their panels were knit-to-shape in a country other than China, and then sent to China to be linked and looped.
| Proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for border and transportation security | 03/09/04 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; Senate Committee on Appropriations |
| Budget and management challenges for the Department of Transportation | 03/09/04 | Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and General Government; Senate Committee on Appropriations |
| The President's proposed fiscal year 2005 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency | 03/10/04 | Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works |
| The administration's international trade agenda | 03/09/04 | Senate Committee on Finance |
| United States economic and trade policy in the Middle East | 03/10/04 | Senate Committee on Finance |
| Department of State, Administration of Foreign Affairs | 03/10/04 | Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, Judiciary and Related Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| The Secretary of State | 03/10/04 | Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Relate Programs; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Food and Drug Administration | 03/11/04 | Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Border and Transportation Security; Acting Administrator, Transportation Security Administration | 03/11/04 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Nonproliferation: Assessing Missile Technology Export Controls | 03/09/04 | Subcommittee on National Security, Emergency Threats and International Relations; House Committee on Government Reform |
| Human Rights Practices Around the World: A Review of the State Department's 2003 Annual Report | 03/10/04 | House Committee on International Relations |
| The Status of the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II) | 03/11/04 | Subcommittee on Aviation; House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |
| President Bush's Trade Agenda | 03/11/04 | House Committee on Ways and Means |
| The Department of Homeland Security Proposed Information Analysis Budget for Fiscal Year 2005 | 03/10/04 | Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterroism; House Select Committee on Homeland Security |
According to the ITA, the petitioner, International Imaging Materials, Inc. (IIMAK), alleged that respondents in the three concurrent investigations of TTR (France, Japan, and South Korea) would attempt to circumvent the order by slitting jumbo rolls in third countries. Therefore, the ITA states that IIMAK requested that slitting does not change the country of origin of TTR for AD duty purposes.