CSUSTL is a trade association headquartered in Washington DC. Our membership consists of 429 companies and organizations representing 167 industries, agriculture,
and mining sectors. Current members have facilities/sites located in all 50 states of the nation. Member companies and organizations are situated in the congressional districts/states of 223 House Members and 100 Senators.
Read the letter which was sent by the Committee to Support US Trade Laws (CSUSTL) on 2/17/2025 to the US Department of Commerce, US Department of Homeland Security, US International Trade Commission, and Office of the United States Trade Representative asking that staff levels and the funding necessary for the enforcement of US trade remedy laws be maintained as critical employees during the government wide reduction in force. If implemented as directed by the Office of Personnel Management roughly 60% of the workforce enforcing our trade laws would be terminated. American businesses and workers across the nation will be hurt and the US government will be unable to collect tariff revenues central to the President's America First Trade Policy.
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CSUSTL is a national organization of companies, trade associations, labor unions, law firms and individuals located in all 50 states of the nation and is committed to preserving and enhancing U.S. trade laws and supporting trade policies that benefit the United States-based productive economy. CSUSTL consists of 434 companies, unions and organizations representing 171 industries, including manufacturing, technology, agriculture, mining, energy, and services. We are dedicated to ensuring that the laws against unfair trade are not weakened through legislation or policy decisions in Washington, DC, in international negotiations, or through dispute settlement at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and elsewhere.
February 2025 -- The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are directing the multiple government agencies who enforce US trade laws to reduce the workforce by roughly 60%. CSUSTL has requested that the agencies exercise their discretionary authority to maintain existing staff and resources as critical employees stating the reduction would injure US businesses across the nation and diminish government's ability to collect the duties and tariffs central to the Administration trade policy.
June 2025 -- A letter was sent by CSUSTL to the House Committee on Ways and Means, and the Senate Finance Committee, requesting inclusion of Levelling the Playing Field Act (LTPFA) 2.0 in any future trade package in the 119th Congress. LTPFA 2.0 updates existing US trade remedy laws to address 21st century problems. The letter was sent on the behalf of the organization's 434 companies, unions, and organizations representing 171 industries, including manufacturing, technology, agriculture, mining, energy, and services.
June 27, 2025 -- CSUSTL sends letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations requesting funding in the amount of $148.3 million for enforcement and compliance activities of the Department of Commerce. This figure is $15.3 million above the $131 million requested in the President's fiscal year 2026 budget and would provide for an additional full time equivalent (FTE) employees reflecting adjustments for inflation. The group also requested $470.5 million for the Office of Trade, of Customs and Border Protection. These two budget accounts are the primary funding sources for the enforcement of US trade remedy laws.
July 29, 2025 -- CSUSTL hosted Jake Parker, Senior policy advisor for trade and tax for Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D., as part of its annual
Roundtable Speaker Series. Parker focuses on the Senator's work on tax and trade on the Senate Finance Committee. The session was held in Washington DC in the offices of Kelley Drye and Warren, LLP and was attended by members of CSUSTL, and interested industry representatives. Mr. Parker provided an update on Senator Cassidy’s trade priorities for this year, as well as a general discussion on trade issues of shared interest.
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How it began >
How it began >
During the late 20th century the Uruguay Round included the governments of 123 countries in negotiations to create an international organization to govern almost all trade in the world from pencils to telecommunications. It was the largest trade negotiation ever in the history of the world. Many US trading partners saw this as their opportunity to strip away the 100-year-old trade remedy laws used by the US to protect against unfair trade practices. Fair and effective the laws were viewed as an obstacle by these nations in their efforts to capture US markets by using unfair trade practices to destroy US business. Many within the US government felt we would ultimately need to sacrifice the trade laws to get a deal. In January of 1989 a small group of US companies and law firms banded together to maintain and improve these laws in the negotiations. They were called the Committee To Support US Trade Laws, or CSUSTL. In April, 1994, the final deal was signed by all 123 governments. Against overwhelming odds the group was successful in its advocacy to preserve the effectiveness of the laws, and has continued that mission ever since.
If you have an interest in the trade laws this is the source for you. Receive timely updates on what is happening to our laws with information that you can use.
