White House Approves Modifications to 2022 USHTS, Suspends AGOA Benefits for Three African Countries

Trade Update • DECEMBER 28, 2021

Last week, the White House issued a proclamation to modify the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States in order to implement the 5-year update to the World Custom Organization’s global Harmonized System.

As previously reported, the recommended modifications will impact the classification of hundreds of products in various sectors and are set to take effect on Thursday, January 27, 2022, according to the Federal Register notice published today.

Following the recommendations made by the U.S. International Trade Commission earlier this year as part of its mandate to keep the HTSUS continually updated, President Biden determined that the proposed tariff modifications do not run counter to the national economic interests of the United States and are in conformity with its obligations under the international HS Convention.

In addition to the final HTSUS changes — as detailed by the ITC here — President Biden removed Ethiopia, Guinea, and Mali from benefits of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The three countries had been suspended from AGOA last November owing to ongoing human rights violations.