26-0630: Tuesday's "Export/Import Daily Bugle"

1. Today’s Federal Register (No items of interest.)

2. Future Federal Register

(Source: Future Federal Register)

3. CBP Cargo Systems Messages

(Source: DHS/CBP/CSMS)

4. CBP’s Upcoming Events in July 2026

(Source: OTR Webinars)

QUESTIONS: [email protected].

5. CBP: “Survey to Licensed Customs Brokers”

(Source: CBP’s Office of Trade Programs; Broker Administration Branch EF)

CBP is sending a reminder inviting your participation in the previously announced survey to Licensed Customs Brokers (LCBs), conducted in coordination with the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO).

You can find CBP’s survey announcement on the Customs Broker page on CBP.gov. Your expertise about the most critical tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics of the LCB job will ultimately help to improve the Customs Broker License Exam (CBLE). CBP appreciates your input on key job requirements and activities to ensure we are developing the exam to measure what is most important for LCB job performance.

The survey will be available until July 5, 2026. Note that you must currently hold an LCB license and be performing LCB duties to be eligible to participate. To take the survey, click on this link. Questions: [email protected].

6. Commerce/BIS (Nothing new.)

(Source: Commerce/BIS)

7. DoD/DSCA Posts New SAMM Policy on International Military Education and Training Funded Student Medical Costs

(Source: Defense Security Cooperation Agency, 30 Jun 2026)

DSCA posted Policy Memo 26-61 International Military Education and Training Funded Student Medical Costs. This memorandum updates the Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM) to incorporate policy on International Military Education and Training (IMET) funded student emergency medical costs. This policy establishes a tiered financial accountability structure for unpaid emergency medical bills for International Military Students (IMS). This memo:

8. State/DDTC Releases “Guidelines for Preparing Agreements Revision 5.2”

(Source: State/DDTC — Repeated from 26 Jun 2026)

The “Guidelines for Preparing Agreements,” Revision 5.2, is now posted. You can access the document here. The guidance went into effect on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.

The Revision 5.2 is an administrative revision which conforms the Agreement Guidelines with the new § 126.7 Exemption for defense trade and cooperation among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, implemented by 89 FR 67270, Aug. 20, 2024 (the “Australia/UK exemption rule”), effective on September 1, 2024.

It also contains conforming revisions inadvertently omitted in Revision 5.1, deletes the portions of Sections 8 and 15 that have moved to stand-alone web guidance, and updates Section 10.3 to conform with current DDTC practice. A summary of noteworthy revisions can be found on page 1 of the updated Guidelines.

[Editor’s Note: Bartlett’s Annotated ITAR (the “BITAR”) will be updated to footnote the ITAR sections affected by this new guidance. Subscribe to the BITAR here.]

9. Treasury/OFAC Launches Reconsideration Portal

(Source: Treasury/OFAC, 29 Jun 2026)

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is launching a new online Reconsideration Portal for the submission of requests to be removed from an OFAC sanctions list.

This portal is intended to streamline the petitions process by guiding submitters to provide necessary information upfront, rather than through a series of questionnaire/answer exchanges that can delay efficient adjudication of a delisting petition.

Listed persons can also request certain unclassified, non-privileged information underlying their sanctions determination (a “courtesy document”) through the Reconsideration Portal.

To accompany this new portal, OFAC is updating its website with additional information on the petitions process. OFAC is updating Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) 897, adding new FAQ 1261, and publishing two quick-reference guides on Delisting Petitions Best Practices and What to Include in a Delisting Petition.

This action is just one of several steps OFAC has taken to improve its petition process in an attempt to bring greater transparency and efficiency to the adjudication of its petitions. OFAC strongly encourages submission of delisting petitions through the portal not only for quicker processing but also because OFAC will be transitioning away from email submission in the future. For more information visit this page.

10. White House Executive Actions (No items of interest.)

11. Diaz: “De Minimis, Codified: CBP Finalizes the Postal Suspension Rule — July 24 Comment Deadline”

(Source: Customs & International Trade Law Blog, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

De minimis is not new news — the $800 duty-free exemption was already suspended for all countries on August 29, 2025. What’s new is CBP’s interim final rule codifying the postal piece and creating a formal postal informal entry process.

Two key dates: the postal IFR takes effect July 24, 2026 (compliance by October 22, 2026), and public comments on the rulemaking are due July 24, 2026.

If your business ships low-value parcels by mail, the entry mechanics are now being locked into regulation. The comment window is your one chance to shape them before they harden.

De Minimis Is Over. Now CBP Is Writing the New Rules. For years, the de minimis exemption was the quiet engine of e-commerce: shipments valued at or under $800 entered the United States free of duty and with minimal formality. That era already ended. As we covered in De Minimis No More: What It Means for Importers and Consumers, a July 30, 2025, Executive Order suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries effective August 29, 2025, accelerating the repeal that the 2025 budget law had set for July 1, 2027.

What CBP Did This Week. CBP issued an interim final rule (IFR) that codifies the suspension of de minimis for international mail shipments and establishes a new postal informal entry process for certain goods entering by mail. The rule takes effect July 24, 2026, with a compliance deadline of October 22, 2026, and CBP is accepting public comments due July 24, 2026. This builds directly on the earlier rulemaking we flagged in CBP Issues Proposed Rule to Enhance Low-Value Shipment Enforcement. . . . [More]

12. Expeditors News: “CBP Deploys Next Phase of CAPE IEEPA Refunds”

(Source: Expeditors News, 29 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

In a Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) bulletin published on June 29, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it had successfully deployed phase 2 of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) application in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Portal.

This update now allows importers or their authorized customs brokers to file CAPE declarations on 01, 02, or 06 entries flagged for reconciliation that have not yet had the 09 reconciliation entry filed. Like phase 1, these entries will be limited to unliquidated entries and entries that have been liquidated within 80 days of the CAPE declaration filing date.

CSMS #69066837 and links to other relevant CSMS bulletins are HERE. The Expeditors Newsflash that covered CBP’s announcement of CAPE phase 2 is HERE.

13. Inside Defense: “Watchdog Finds Dramatic Cuts to Independent Weapons Testing Office Reduced Oversight”

(Source: Inside Defense, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

The Pentagon’s overhaul of its independent weapons testing office has reduced the organization’s oversight capacity, left remaining staff responsible for more programs outside their areas of expertise and sharply narrowed the portfolio of acquisition programs receiving operational evaluations, according to a new Government Accountability Office assessment.

The June 30 report, which Congress mandated following a major restructuring of the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) announced last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), contains a key slide with a blunt assessment: “Reorganization Has Reduced DOT&E’s Oversight Capacity.”

The Hegseth-directed DOGE review slashed the office’s staff from 126 (106 positions filled) to only 30 in May 2025. The staff was later expanded to 45 in September, though staffing reviews are ongoing. . . . [More]

14. ST&R Trade Report: “CBP Revises Entry Procedures for Low-Value Imports”

(Source: Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]. Contact: [email protected], 1-305-894-1035

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has taken several steps that it says aim to “ensure that all low-value [import] shipments are subject to consistent enforcement across every mode of entry.”

An executive order issued earlier this year continued the suspension, first implemented in 2025, of the de minimis exemption. Consistent with that EO, CBP has issued two interim final rules (available here and here) revising its regulations to indefinitely suspend the exemption for shipments via the international postal network or any other mode, respectively. The rule regarding mail shipments will be effective July 24 (though compliance with some provisions will not be required until Oct. 22), while the other took effect June 24. Comments on both are due by July 24. . . . [More]

15. Wall Street Journal: “China Adds More Japanese Entities to Export Control List”

(Source: WSJ.com, 29 Jun 2026) [Excerpts of subscription service.]

TOKYO—China hit dozens more Japanese companies and several research institutes with trade restrictions, marking another escalation in Beijing’s campaign of economic coercion against Tokyo. The new measures, announced by China’s Commerce Ministry on Monday, show Beijing isn’t backing down in a dispute that has rumbled on for months. . . . [More]

16. Baker/McKenzie: “U.S. House Passes Ukraine Support Act, Advancing Additional Russia-Related Sanctions and Trade Measures”

(Source: Global Sanctions and Export Controls Blog, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

On June 4, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Ukraine Support Act (H.R. 2913) (the “Act”), a broad measure that would, if enacted, (1) impose new Russia-related sanctions, (2) codify and tighten existing U.S. export controls, (3) impose duties of at least 500% on Russian imports and taxation of blocked assets, and (4) authorize additional Ukraine-related security and reconstruction measures.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where its prospects remain uncertain. If enacted, the Act would require the president, “[n]ot later than 15 days” after its enactment and at least every 90 days thereafter, to determine whether Russia or its proxies are waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, refusing to negotiate a peace agreement in good faith, or violating an existing peace agreement. If the President makes an affirmative determination, the Act requires the executive branch to implement specified sanctions, export controls, and duty increases within 15 days. . . . [More]

17. Breaking Defense: “Recent DoD Changes Risk Fielding Weapons with Hidden Problems, Watchdog Warns”

(Source: Breaking Defense News, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

WASHINGTON — US troops could receive new weapons and tech with “undocumented shortfalls” after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reshaped a key Pentagon testing office last year by cutting nearly 100 civilian posts and leaving more work to those who remain, according to a new government watchdog report.

“The staff reductions since May 2025 constrain the depth and breadth of oversight that DOT&E [Director, Operational Test and Evaluation] can provide for DOD’s weapon systems,” said a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today.

“This includes oversight of major defense acquisition programs and others, such as middle tier of acquisition programs—a growing area within DOD,” the GAO said, referencing the Pentagon’s streamlined framework to rapidly develop and field new capabilities by bypassing traditional acquisition processes. . . . [More]

18. Diaz: “CAPE Phase II Is Live: Most IEEPA Duties Are Now Refund-Eligible — Here’s How to Claim Yours”

(Source: Customs & International Trade Law Blog, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

As of June 29, 2026, CBP’s CAPE system reached Phase II — enhanced processing for reconciliation-flagged entries, making the large majority of IEEPA duties eligible for refund.

Refunds are not automatic for every entry type. Eligibility, filing method, and ACH enrollment all matter — and finally, liquidated entries are treated differently depending on whether you filed a CIT lawsuit.

The window rewards speed and documentation. Importers who reconcile their IEEPA-dutied entries now will recover capital sooner; those who wait risk falling into later, slower phases. . . . [More]

19. ST&R Trade Report: “CBP Proposes to Revise Rulings on Auto Components, Other Items”

(Source: Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]. Contact: [email protected], 1-305-894-1035

The following proposed revocations and modifications of U.S. Customs and Border Protection rulings are included in the June 24, 2026, Customs Bulletin and Decisions. Comments on these proposed changes are due July 24:

20. Squire: “The UK’s New Consolidated Dual-Use Open General Export Licence: One Licence, Expanded Permitted Destinations and a New Customs Declaration System Condition”

(Source: Squire Insights, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

On 25 June 2026, the UK’s Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) announced, in Notice to Exporters 2026/14, a new, consolidated Dual-Use Open General Export Licence (OGEL) that merges the existing EU member states Dual-Use OGEL and General Export Authorisation 001 into a single open licence, and extends open licence coverage to new destinations: South Korea, Singapore, Chile, Uruguay and the British Overseas Territories. The ECJU projects that the change will save exporters more than 500 individual licence applications a year.

What has changed is the packaging of permissions: two separate instruments (and associated reference numbers) are replaced by one licence, and the trusted destination list is enlarged on the basis of a data-led review of historic licensing decisions that found exports to the new destinations permitted under this OGEL to be consistently approved and presenting low risk. . . . [More]

21. Volkov: “5 Keys to Effective Trade Compliance (Part 2)”

(Source: Volkov Law, 30 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

Not all sanctions violations are willful. Some companies just don’t know any better. An effective trade compliance program needs three critical elements.

First, in addition to the two we spoke about in the last episode, organizations and companies have to monitor transactions, shipping documents, vessels, payment flows, and escalation of red flags. Second, employee training is critical. OFAC’s compliance framework specifically identifies training as a core compliance expectation. And finally, organizations need to monitor, audit, and test whether their controls are actually working. A compliance program that is never tested is simply operating on assumptions. The best trade compliance programs don’t just detect violations, they prevent them. . . .

[Listen to the podcast of “5 Keys to Effective Trade Compliance” HERE.]

22. ACI Presents: ACI’s “EAR Compliance & Licensing Masterclass + ITAR Week” (Virtual Series, 13–31 July)

(Source: Shannon Kao, ACI)

23. Skill Dynamics Presents: “The Fundamentals of U.S. Export Regulations” 13–15 October 2026 in Dallas

(Source: Skill Dynamics, previously Content Enablers)

24. List of Export/Import Job Openings

(Source: Editor)

25. Bartlett’s Unfamiliar Quotations

(Source: Brainy Quotes)

John Gay (30 Jun 1685 – 4 Dec 1732; was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar’s Opera.)

Frederic Bastiat (30 Jun 1801 – 24 Dec 1850; was a French economist, writer, and a prominent member of the French Liberal School. Bastiat developed the economic concept of opportunity cost and introduced the parable of the broken window. His views favored a free market and influenced the Austrian School.)

26. Today in History

(Source: History Channel)

1905: Einstein publishes his groundbreaking theory of relativity. On June 30, 1905, Albert Einstein publishes “Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper (On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies),” a paper that set out his theory of special relativity, in the German physics journal Annalen der Physik. Einstein’s groundbreaking work shattered the foundations of physics.

Einstein published five theoretical papers in 1905 that revolutionized 20th-century scientific thought. Historians refer to this period as Einstein’s annus mirabilis, or “miracle year.” His first paper described the particle theory of light, which would later earn him the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics. His second examined Brownian motion. His third introduced the theory of special relativity, showing that space and time are relative, not absolute. His fourth showed that mass and energy are interchangeable, introducing his famous E=mc² equation. His fifth was his doctoral dissertation at the University of Zurich in which he showed how to calculate the size of molecules in Avogadro’s number.

27. Do You Need to Update Your Daily Bugle Profile?

(Source: Editor)

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28. Are Your Copies of Export/Import Regulations Current?

(Source: Editor)

The official versions of the following regulations are published annually in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) but are updated as amended in the Federal Register. The latest amendments are listed below.