United States: Trade Regulation & Practices

The U.S.-Canada trading relationship has reached a critical juncture as both nations implement escalating trade measures, with Canada's counter-tariffs taking effect and the United States responding with unprecedented import bans on Canadian alcoholic beverages, dairy products, and motorcycles. These actions mark a significant expansion of the Trump Administration's use of Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, moving beyond additional tariffs to outright import restrictions. What does this escalation mean

The U.S. Department of Commerce has launched antidumping and countervailing duty investigations targeting linear hydraulic cylinders from five countries, with petitioners advocating for an unusually broad scope that would trace component origins through multi-country supply chains and apply duties even after third-country assembly.

State attorneys general in Florida and Louisiana have filed lawsuits against pharmacy benefit managers alleging collusion and price-fixing of reimbursement rates paid to retail and independent pharmacies. These cases represent a growing trend of states pursuing antitrust enforcement actions against PBMs for allegedly coordinating to suppress pharmacy reimbursements.

President Trump has invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose 50% additional tariffs on nearly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, including USMCA-compliant products, effective August 19, 2026. The tariffs target dairy, alcoholic beverages, and motor vehicle sectors, marking the first use of this trade tool in over 70 years. Companies importing affected Canadian goods face significant duty exposure and must urgently assess their product classifications and sourcing strategies.

President Trump has issued three unprecedented trade proclamations under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, imposing 50% tariffs on Canadian motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages, and dairy products. These measures, the first of their kind in decades, target what the administration identifies as discriminatory Canadian trade policies that burden American commerce. What implications will these tariffs have for international trade relationships and supply chains under the USMCA framework?

The Federal Communications Commission has initiated unprecedented enforcement actions targeting false U.S. production claims and fraudulent test reports in equipment authorization processes. A drone manufacturer faces potential revocation of its authorizations after allegedly misrepresenting its products as domestically manufactured, while a Chinese test lab may lose FCC recognition for submitting duplicated test data across dozens of unrelated products.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued six show cause orders targeting Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators, demanding they justify or reform their interconnection rules for large energy users. As electricity demand surges from data centers and manufacturing facilities, FERC is taking unprecedented action to accelerate how these major consumers connect to the electric grid.

The Trump Administration has declared it will not renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in its current form, signaling potential major changes to North American trade relations. This announcement raises critical questions about the future of trilateral commerce and the legal implications for businesses operating across these borders.

Florida's Attorney General has issued a Civil Investigative Demand to a major credit score issuer, investigating potential violations of the Florida Antitrust Act. The probe examines allegations of monopolistic practices including predatory pricing, illegal product bundling, and exclusionary contracts with credit bureaus that may have driven score prices from under $1 to as high as $10.