Join the OCEANAIR team! View our open positions and apply today.
Join the OCEANAIR team! View our open positions and apply today.
June 4, 2026
May flowers to those in this business meant a client successfully accessed their ACE portal and added their ACH account for refunds. Claims are actively being processed, and daffodils and tulips meant refunds were on their way—and, in some cases, already in bank accounts. Unfortunately, June is known for bringing bugs. In addition to stinkbugs and ants, this June will be known for the tariff bug—a tarantula at that.
With new and enhanced tariffs on the way, the administration has signaled its intent to appeal the refund of IEEPA tariffs, where many importers are beginning to see money in their accounts. Much of the appeal is focused on the CIT’s jurisdiction over entries past liquidation, arguing those importers are non-parties regardless of monies paid. Additional arguments and filings are expected throughout the next week and should provide more insight into how importers should prepare.
Section 232 tariffs get an update Monday, with some provisions being added, some expiring, and others changing. Those most impacted are in the agricultural or industrial equipment and machinery sectors, as well as those importing goods made overseas with U.S. steel, aluminum, or copper. The threshold for the exclusion based on U.S. metal content is being reduced from 95% to 85%.
With focus on those sectors, some HTS classifications have moved from 50% to 25% until the end of 2027, while new tariffs on bulldozers and self-propelled machinery have been added to the list. However, those additions are also part of a possible 15% baseline tariff similar to the former reciprocal tariff applied to the European Union. The EU, UK, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Argentina will all see this reduced rate.
Section 232 tariffs are being removed from some items where the tariff was focused on packaging materials (paint and chemicals), along with certain furniture and lighting HTS classifications. Some Chapter 84 and 85 items are also seeing a temporary reduction to 25% under the understanding that they are essential to increasing U.S. reshoring capabilities.
With Section 232 tariffs impacting metals, new Section 301 tariff investigations seek to add a 10%–12.5% tariff on goods from 60 nations for not implementing or enforcing prohibitions on forced labor. Public comment on the investigation closes July 7. Canada, Mexico, China, the EU, Singapore, Turkey, the UK, and New Zealand are all on the list of nations the United States Trade Representative is proposing be subject to the new tariff. The proposal also includes a list of excluded items, exclusions for goods already subject to Section 232 tariffs, and a textile program designed to reward compliant supply chains. A final rule could be issued as early as the end of July.
With all these changes, and after 18 months of unprecedented tariff activity, next on the importer’s plate is the upcoming tightening and enhancement of importer requirements, responsibilities, and penalties.
Stay connected with the latest from OCEANAIR. Sign up for our newsletter to receive The OCEANAIR Current, The Monthly Horizon, and OCEANAIR Tariff Talk — delivered straight to your inbox.
