Shana Hofstetter Quoted by Bloomberg Law on Trump Admin. Proposal to Increase Funding for Tariff Waiver Process

Bloomberg Law has quoted Akin Gump international trade counsel Shana Hofstetter in the article “Money Alone Won’t Fix Tariff Waiver Process, Lawmaker Says.” The article reports on a proposed funding boost by the White House for the International Trade Administration’s exclusion budget, and whether it will be enough to fix problems manufacturers face in getting their requests for steel and aluminum tariff waivers vetted quickly and fairly. One member of Congress, the article notes, thinks it will not be.

According to the article, U.S. companies can request tariff waivers on steel and aluminum imports not produced in sufficient quantities in the United States or if national security considerations warrant an exclusion. Objections are also considered from U.S. producers who claim they can produce the products in question.

The Commerce Department, the article says, is proposing to use some of the additional funding to hire contractors to help department staff with the requests, but finding contractors with the appropriate skills will not be easy, said Hofstetter. Identifying people “with the appropriate level of expertise who are willing to come in as short term contractors is difficult especially in today’s labor market,” she said.