Oct 4 -- “Executive Order on America's Supply Chains”, issued on February 24, 2021, outlines U.S. policy objectives with respect to strengthening the resilience of America's supply chains. The Executive Order directed relevant Secretaries to prepare reports on the supply chains for critical sectors and subsectors within either 100 days or 1 year of the Order. Through this Request for Comment (RFC), the International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce (Commerce) is requesting input from the public on a draft list of critical goods and materials within four of the supply chains assessed under the Order: public health and biological preparedness, information and communications technology (ICT), energy, and critical minerals. The draft list, defined by 8- and 10-digit tariff lines of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), is set out online at
https://www.trade.gov/data-visualization/draft-list-critical-supply-chains
The list of critical goods and materials will serve as a tool to facilitate ongoing targeted analysis of trade data and the evaluation of policies to strengthen these supply chains. This RFC is a part of the government's ongoing work to identify risks, address vulnerabilities, and develop a strategy to promote American supply chains resiliency in accordance with the Order.
To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on or before November 3, 2022.
Executive Order 14017 of February 24, 2021, “Executive Order on America's Supply Chains” (hereafter “Executive Order” or “Order”) (86 FR 11849; February 24, 2021), outlines U.S. policy objectives with respect to strengthening the resilience of America's supply chains. The Executive Order directed various agencies to submit supply chain assessments, including a review of “the critical goods and materials, as defined by section 6(b) of this order, underlying the supply chain in question.” Relevant reports were released in June 2021 and February 2022.
Section 6(b) of the Order defines critical goods and materials as “goods and raw materials currently defined under statute or regulation as `critical' materials, technologies, or infrastructure.” For the purposes of better analyzing trade data and policies, Commerce has identified HTSUS codes that match to critical goods and materials in four of these supply chains, drawing upon the expertise of industry analysts. Each product is identified as either an input, capital good, or final good. The draft list of HTSUS codes, defined at the 8 and 10-digit level, is set out online at
https://www.trade.gov/data-visualization/draft-list-critical-supply-chains
This RFC offers an opportunity for all interested parties to provide relevant input and recommendations for consideration with respect to the draft list of critical goods and materials. Commerce is also interested in how products are used within a supply chain.
Please submit written comments on this draft list on or before November 3, 2022 to facilitate consideration. Commerce is requesting comments addressing the make-up of the draft list, including any recommended product additions or subtractions. For any product noted, please include:
• The 8- or 10-digit HTSUS code(s) for the product. The U.S. International Trade Commission's HTS Online Reference Tool (
https://hts.usitc.gov/) is a useful tool for helping to determine the U.S. tariff classification of a product.
• Product description (e.g., physical characteristics, function, application, principal or end use within the critical sector, etc.)
-- What is the relevant supply chain sector
-- What is the relevant supply chain subsector (if any)
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-21418