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Last week, President Trump signed two Executive Orders (EO) that will affect the use of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) trade resources. The first is a direct call to step up enforcement of trade laws with a special emphasis given to anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases. The second EO focuses on the trade deficit. The deficit numbers are driven by the value that is declared to CBP upon entry of goods. While there may be some minor adjustments by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau, generally such information is gleaned from CBP entry data. Ultimately, CBP will be called upon to ensure that the value declared upon entry is correct, thus giving the Administration a more accurate accounting of the deficit. It is clear that trade law enforcement will be on agency’s front burner. After the EOs were published, Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan stated “the men and women of CBP are committed to enforcing the trade laws of the United States to defend the economic competitiveness of domestic industries against unfair trade practices and dangerous counterfeits that could harm consumers.”

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