SecTell Congress to Support Funding for Critical CTE Programs
Congressional appropriators in the House and Senate are working toward completing the appropriations process for fiscal year (FY) 2027, including passing legislation funding critical job training and technical education programs. The House Committee on Appropriations recently passed its version of the FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, which funds education and workforce development programs, while the Senate is set to release their funding bill in the coming weeks.
The House version of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill includes a $10 million increase for the CTE Basic State Grant under the Perkins Act and increases funding by $5 million for Registered Apprenticeships. However, the bill also eliminates funding for WIOA Adult Job Training and WIOA Youth Job Training grants.
Job recruitment, training, and placement, along with advanced technical education, are essential for the future of manufacturing in America. The House and Senate remain far apart on total spending levels, making it crucial for you to contact your members of Congress today. While the government needs to control spending, investing in the manufacturing workforce boosts productivity, increases tax revenues, and provides Americans with family-sustaining careers.
Click here to contact your members of Congress TODAY and urge them to pass a FY27 spending bill that provides the resources small businesses need for training programs and raises awareness of manufacturing careers.
Formal USMCA Review Process to Begin July 1
The formal review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is scheduled to begin on July 1 with a virtual trilateral meeting involving officials from the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The meeting will mark the official start of the agreement’s six-year review process, as required under Article 34.7 of the USMCA.
The review follows several months of bilateral discussions among the three countries. U.S. and Mexican officials met in Mexico City on May 29 and again in Washington, D.C., on June 16-17 as part of preparations for the formal review. Additional discussions among the parties are expected throughout the year.
According to reports, the United States has proposed changes to the automotive rules of origin. Those proposals include increasing the regional value content requirement for passenger vehicles and light trucks from 75 percent to 82 percent and requiring that 50 percent of a vehicle’s value be produced in the United States. For heavy trucks, the United States reportedly proposed increasing the regional value content requirement from 70 percent to 75 percent.
The bilateral discussions have also addressed steel and aluminum trade, economic security provisions, supply chain issues, and measures related to preventing goods and investment from non-market economies from receiving benefits under the agreement. Agriculture and other trade-related issues are expected to be part of the broader review process.
Under the USMCA, the three governments will assess the operation of the agreement and consider whether to extend it for an additional 16-year term. If the parties do not agree to extend the agreement during the review, the USMCA will remain in force and be subject to annual reviews until a decision is reached.
Officials have indicated that discussions will continue beyond the July 1 meeting. Additional negotiating rounds are expected through September as the three countries continue reviewing potential changes to the agreement.
The review process is expected to address a range of issues affecting North American trade, including rules of origin, regional sourcing requirements, supply chains, market access, and the treatment of investment and production involving non-market economies.
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to China Section 301 Tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a legal challenge to the Section 301 tariffs imposed on imports from China during the first Trump administration, bringing an end to one of the longest-running court battles involving the trade measures. The Court denied a petition for certiorari filed by a group of importers led by HMTX Industries without comment on June 15, 2026.
The case centered on the legality of the List 3 and List 4A tariff actions, which expanded the scope of the original Section 301 duties imposed following the U.S. investigation into China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. Plaintiffs argued that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) exceeded its statutory authority when it expanded the tariffs beyond the initial actions and that the agency failed to comply with procedural requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act.
The challenge was previously rejected by both the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The Federal Circuit concluded that USTR acted within the authority granted under Section 307 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits the agency to modify existing Section 301 actions in certain circumstances. The Supreme Court’s decision leaves those rulings in place.
The ruling comes as USTR is conducting the second statutory four-year review of the China Section 301 tariffs. That review will determine whether the tariff actions originally imposed in 2018 should remain in effect. By declining to hear the case, the Supreme Court leaves intact the legal foundation supporting USTR’s authority to maintain and modify the Section 301 tariff measures, ensuring that the tariffs remain in place unless changed through future administrative or policy actions.
EU Parliament Backs Trade Framework, Clearing Path for Final Approval
The European Parliament has signed off on the legislation needed to implement the tariff provisions of the 2025 U.S.–EU Turnberry trade framework, marking a decisive step toward stabilizing transatlantic trade ties and averting another tariff confrontation. In a June 16 vote, lawmakers approved two measures by 440–151, eliminating the EU’s remaining tariffs on U.S. industrial goods, expanding preferential access for select U.S. agricultural and seafood products, and formally anchoring the agreement in EU law.
The outcome follows months of negotiations over enforcement tools and political safeguards. Pressure intensified this spring after President Trump warned that U.S. tariffs on European automobiles could rise from 15 percent to 25 percent if the EU failed to complete implementation by July 4.
The legislation includes a sunset clause ending the tariff preferences on December 31, 2029, unless renewed. It also grants the European Commission authority to suspend concessions if the United States does not meet key obligations—most notably, if U.S. tariffs on EU steel and aluminum derivative products remain above 15 percent after December 31, 2026. The Commission must report back to Parliament and member states by December 1, 2026, on U.S. tariff treatment in those sectors.
Beyond enforcement, the package establishes a safeguard mechanism allowing the EU to investigate and respond to import surges that could seriously harm European industries, including agriculture. Lawmakers also strengthened oversight requirements, mandating regular monitoring of trade flows and a full economic assessment before the agreement’s scheduled expiration.
With Parliament’s approval secured, the package now heads to the Council of the European Union for its last procedural step. Once formally ratified by member states and the text is published in the Official Journal, the legislation will take effect, putting the Turnberry commitments fully into force.
EPA Updates Community Right-to-Know Reporting Requirements
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule updating hazardous chemical inventory reporting requirements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The changes align EPA’s reporting regulations with revisions OSHA made to its Hazard Communication Standard in 2024.
EPCRA requires many facilities that store hazardous chemicals above certain thresholds to submit annual inventory reports to state and local emergency planning agencies and fire departments. The updated rule revises hazard classifications and reporting terminology to match OSHA’s current chemical hazard communication framework.
The rule takes effect on August 21, 2026, although facilities will not be required to begin using the new hazard categories until January 1, 2028. EPA said the delayed compliance date will provide time for facilities, regulators, and emergency planning organizations to update reporting systems and procedures.
According to EPA, the rule does not create new reporting obligations but is intended to improve consistency between workplace hazard communication requirements and community right-to-know reporting programs.
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