One Voice Files Comments on Copper Imports
On April 1, 2025, One Voice filed formal comments with the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry to help inform an investigation into the potential national security risks of copper imports. The investigation, taken under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, was launched by Commerce on March 10 following an executive order issued by the President on February 25, and covers all forms of copper imports, including raw mined copper, copper concentrates, refined copper, copper alloys, scrap copper, and derivative products.
In the comments, One Voice urged the Commerce Department to find alternatives to tariffs on copper and copper derivatives to increase the domestic capacity and capabilities. “One Voice understands the need for a reliable domestic supply of copper, a material essential for producing a wide array of products, from precision metal parts to advanced machinery,” the comments state. “While the intent behind potential tariffs on copper imports is to protect national security by reducing dependency on foreign sources, these tariffs could inadvertently restrict the sourcing options from allied nations. This limitation can lead to increased costs of raw materials, which elevates production costs for manufacturers and can divert production of goods containing copper to overseas suppliers.”
The Secretary will report the findings of the investigation to the President by November 22, 2025.
Auto & Auto Parts Tariffs Imposed
On March 26, 2025, President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation that introduces a 25 percent tariff on automobiles and parts, citing a “critical threat to U.S. national security” under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
This tariff will be imposed on all imported passenger vehicles and light trucks, along with key auto parts from all countries, including such parts as motor vehicle mountings and fittings, hinges, locks, and metal stampings for bumpers and parts of bumpers. A full list of parts covered under the tariff action can be found in the official Federal Register Notice.
For vehicles imported from Canada and Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the tariff will apply exclusively to the non-U.S. content of the vehicle. Importers must submit documentation to the Secretary of Commerce identifying the amount of U.S. content in each vehicle model imported to be able to apply the tariff only to the non-U.S. content. Currently, the tariff on auto parts imported under USMCA is suspended until the Commerce Department, alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection, sets up a method for applying the tariff specifically to the value of non-U.S. content in these automobile parts.
The Proclamation also directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a process to identify and include additional auto parts, either by the Commerce Department or “at the request of a domestic producer of an automobile or automobile parts article, or an industry association representing one or more such producers,” where it can be demonstrated that the imports of the auto part “threaten to impair national security.”
The tariff on automotives took effect on April 3, while the 25 percent tariff on auto parts takes effect no later than May 3, 2025. Retaliation from U.S. trading partners in response to the tariffs has begun. On April 3, 2025, Canada announced it would impose a 25 percent tariff on all non-USMCA-compliant auto imports from the U.S. The retaliatory tariffs will not extend to auto parts. Additionally, Canada has challenged the tariffs at the World Trade Organization (WTO), arguing that the tariffs on automobiles “nullify or impair benefits accruing to Canada directly or indirectly” under the WTO General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
New “Reciprocal” Tariffs Introduced
President Trump announced new tariffs on April 2, 2025, referred to by the Administration as “Liberation Day.” The announcement included 10 percent baseline tariffs on all countries, along with higher individualized “reciprocal” tariffs on countries with which the United States has significant trade deficits. This action was taken under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act following a national emergency declaration by the President, citing national security and economic concerns related to persistent annual U.S. goods deficits.
The White House Council of Economic Advisers calculated the reciprocal tariffs based on countries’ tariff and non-tariff barriers, resulting in final tariffs that are roughly half of the calculated foreign rates. China will see a tariff rate of 34 percent, while tariffs for the European Union will stand at 20 percent, Japan at 24 percent, Taiwan at 32 percent, Vietnam at an escalated 46 percent, India at 26 percent, and South Korea at 25 percent.
Canada and Mexico will not be subjected to the reciprocal tariffs due to the existing 25 percent tariff; however, should this action be lifted, non-USMCA-compliant goods would incur a 12 percent reciprocal tariff.
Certain goods will be exempt from these reciprocal tariffs. These include items covered under Section 232 for steel and aluminum or auto and auto parts tariffs. Additionally, copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, energy, and specific critical minerals are excluded from the tariff list.
The baseline tariff is in effect as of April 5, with the reciprocal tariffs entering into force on April 9.
TCE Ban Delayed
On April 2, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced another delay to the effective date of the final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE), which falls under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This regulation, titled “Trichloroethylene (TCE); Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA),” was first published on December 17, 2024, with a planned effective date of January 16, 2025, but its implementation was put on hold due to legal challenges.
The EPA had previously deferred the regulation’s effective date in a final rule issued on January 28, 2025, in response to a Presidential Memorandum issued on January 20. This memorandum instructed federal departments and agencies to consider delaying the effective dates of any rules published in the Federal Register, or any rules that have been issued yet to take effect, by 60 days in order to address potential questions of fact, law, and policy that these rules might raise.
The updated TCE regulation effectively bans the manufacture, import, processing, and distribution of TCE across all applications, including its use as a solvent in industrial cleaning and degreasing. The intention is to phase out the majority of TCE applications within one year, while allowing extended compliance timelines for certain critical uses, which would be accompanied by workplace safety measures. The January 28 final rule had set the delayed effective date of the TCE regulation for March 21, 2025. With the latest notification on April 2, this enforcement date is further postponed by 90 days, pending judicial review, to June 20, 2025.