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On October 1, the International Trade Administration (ITA) of the Department of Commerce finalized the implementation of a complete organizational restructure but delayed officially announcing the change until October 17 due to the government shutdown. The ITA previously consisted of four subdivisions: Import Administration (IA), Market Access and Compliance (MAC), Manufacturing and Services (MAS), and the US Commercial Service (USCS). These four subdivisions have been consolidated into three new business units in order “to capitalize on [the ITA’s] strengths and identify opportunities for innovation and to reduce inefficiencies and improve communication across the organization,” as explained by the Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez. The new business units are Global Markets, Industry and Analysis, and Enforcement and Compliance. Global Markets merges aspects, of MAC and the USCS, including resources, programs, and professionals. The Global Markets unit’s mission is to “assist and advocate for U.S. businesses in international markets to foster U.S. economic competitiveness and prosperity.” The unit also emphasizes that US small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from the unit’s trade promotion efforts.
Industry and Analysis (I&A) is a revamped version of the former MAS division. I&A seeks to “unlock export and investment opportunities for U.S. businesses by combining in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis with ITA’s industry relationships.” The offices absorbed by MAS to create I&A include Trade Agreements Secretariat, Intellectual Property Rights, and Trade Programs and Strategic Partnerships (formerly Trade Promotion Programs). Enforcement and Compliance (E&C), bringing compliance experts from the former MAC division into the IA, will “enforce U.S. trade laws and ensure compliance with trade agreements negotiated on behalf of U.S. industry,” according to their updated webpage. E&C consists of three offices: Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations, Policy and Negotiations, and Foreign Trade Zones. Not all of the ITA’s offices websites reflect the new organizational changes, and hyperlinks may take users to web pages under construction. These inconveniences may continue as the ITA situates itself. In order to help users of the ITA’s services understand where former offices fall under the new business units, the ITA has provided this helpful concordance list. Please contact TradeMoves LLC if you have any questions about government resources available to US exporters. Tyson Smith [email protected] 240.389.9001/ 240.389.9003 Comments are closed.
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