GAO report: USTR’s Section 301 exclusion process was inconsistent

A lack of documentation led the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to execute inconsistent processes for its consideration of exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods and extensions to those exclusions, according to a Government Accountability Office report released this week. The Trump administration began imposing tariffs on Chinese goods in July 2018 under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, with tariffs eventually covering roughly $370 billion worth of imports. Between July 2018 and December 2020,...