TSA readies for busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record, provides passengers with time-saving travel tips - Transportation Security Administration

WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is prepared for the busiest Thanksgiving     travel period on record and is projected to screen 18.3 million people from Tuesday, Nov. 26 to Monday, Dec. 2, representing a volume increase of approximately 6% from this time in 2023. Passenger volumes have reached record highs in 2024, with an increase of 17% since 2022. 

TSA projects the three busiest travel days will be Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday. The agency expects to screen more than 2.8 million people on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2.9 million for Wednesday, Nov. 27, and more than 3 million people on Sunday, Dec. 1.  

“This holiday season is expected to be one of the busiest travel periods on record, and the vigilant people of the Transportation Security Administration stand ready to ensure the security and ease of travel,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Many members of the TSA workforce will be on duty throughout Thanksgiving Day and week and I am immensely grateful for their selfless dedication and professionalism. I encourage travelers to plan ahead, follow TSA’s travel tips, and take advantage of programs like TSA PreCheck® – simple steps that will make everyone’s journey smoother, our skies safer, and TSA’s job easier.”

TSA has screened more than 2.9 million passengers on multiple days in 2024, but the record for the heaviest passenger volume in TSA history was on Sunday, July 7, when Transportation Security Officers screened more than 3 million people at airport security checkpoints nationwide. TSA may exceed that record this Thanksgiving travel period.

“As we approach Thanksgiving, TSA is ready to accommodate record passenger volumes,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “The 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history have all occurred in 2024, and we anticipate that trend to continue. Working alongside our airport and airline partners and the FAA, we have optimized staffing and will do our best to maintain our wait time standards:  less than 10 minutes for TSA PreCheck lanes and less than 30 minutes for standard screening lanes. I am extremely grateful for our dedicated employees across the agency who continue to remain vigilant and focused on the mission to ensure security of our transportation systems and keep the traveling public safe.”

To travel with ease, TSA advises passengers to pack smart and start with an empty bag. Passengers who do so are less likely to bring prohibited items through the checkpoint. All liquids, gels and aerosols must be 3.4 ounces or less when packed in a carry-on bag. Certain foods, such as gravy, cranberry sauce, wine, jam and preserves – which are considered liquids or gels – must be packed in a checked bag if they exceed 3.4 ounces. 

If you can spill it, spray it, spread it, pump it or pour it, it is a liquid, aerosol or gel and must be packed in your checked bag if it exceeds the 3.4-ounce limit. As always, passengers may bring solid foods such as cakes and other baked goods through the checkpoint. Check for prohibited items by using the What Can I Bring? page on TSA.gov or just ask @AskTSA.
 

Federal Register Notices:

• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Steel Wheels From the People's Republic of China: Continuation of Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty Orders
• Cast Iron Soil Pipe From the People's Republic of China: Continuation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders
• Large Top Mount Combination Refrigerator-Freezers From Thailand: Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation
• Certain New Pneumatic Off-the-Road Tires from India: Amended Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Vanillin from the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and Alignment of Final Determination with Final Antidumping Duty Determination
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Aluminum Lithographic Printing Plates From China and Japan: Determinations
• Certain Electronic Eyewear Products, Components Thereof, and Related Charging Apparatuses; Institution of Investigation
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Thermoformed Molded Fiber Products From the People's Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigations; Correction
• Circular Welded Carbon Quality Steel Pipe From the People's Republic of China: Initiation of Circumvention Inquiry on the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders
• Oil Country Tubular Goods From Ukraine: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Paper File Folders From Cambodia: Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigation
• Mattresses From Indonesia: Final Results and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Stainless Steel Flanges From India: Preliminary Results and Rescission, in Part, of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Dioctyl Terephthalate (DOTP) From Malaysia, Poland, Taiwan, and Turkey; Scheduling of the Final Phase of Antidumping Duty Investigations
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Raised Garden Beds and Components Thereof; Notice of a Commission Determination Not To Review an Initial Determination Granting a Joint Motion for Termination of the Enforcement Proceeding Based on Settlement; Termination of the Enforcement Proceeding
• Certain Photovoltaic Connectors and Components Thereof; Notice of a Commission Determination To Review in Part a Final Initial Determination; Request for Written Submissions on the Issues Under Review and on Remedy, the Public Interest, and Bonding; Extension of Target Date
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Aluminum Extrusion From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2013, Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2013, and Amended Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2013; Correction
• Hard Empty Capsules From Brazil, the People's Republic of China, India, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigations
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations Orders or Reviews: Antidumping Duty Order on Alloy and Certain Carbon Steel Threaded Rod and Countervailing Duty Order on Carbon and Alloy Steel Threaded Rod From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Changed Circumstances Reviews, Revocation of the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, in Part, and Rescission of Scope Inquiry
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Welded Carbon Steel Standard Pipes and Tubes From India: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With the Results of Antidumping Administrative Review; Notice of Amended Final Results
• Ferrosilicon From the Russian Federation: Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders
• Refillable Stainless-Steel Kegs From Mexico and the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Sunset Reviews and Revocation of Orders
• Hexamethylenetetramine From the People's Republic of China and India: Postponement of Preliminary Determinations in the Countervailing Duty Investigations
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Epoxy Resins From China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand; Scheduling of the Final Phase of Countervailing Duty and Antidumping Duty Investigations
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Aluminum Extrusions From China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam
   

Forward Operating Lab in Cincinnati helps CBP Identify Dangerous Shipments - U.S. Customs & Border Protection

CINCINNATI — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Laboratories and Scientific Services (LSS) opened a Forward Operating Laboratory (FOL) in Cincinnati on November 12 that brings responsive and timely scientific support to CBP’s mission.  FOLs are co-located at strategically chosen ports of entry to achieve an operator-focused, field-forward posture.  The FOL operates under the concept of integration and side-by-side coordination with law enforcement personnel. 

CBP is now able to expedite enforcement actions and generate information capitalizing on the agency’s collective expertise to address current and emerging threats. Previously, for an identification of complex or newly emerging substances, it would have to be sent to a lab in Chicago, which could take weeks. 

“The shipper would know that due to the length of time their shipment was missing, it had probably been seized,” said Cincinnati’s Port Director, Eric Zizelman. “They would be wary of an investigation and would have the opportunity to change up their smuggling tactics, but now, it never leaves the building and can take four seconds for identification.” 

The integration of laboratory personnel with CBP operators and intelligence analysts provides several benefits to generating timely information: corroboration of collected information / intelligence, immediate identification of suspected controlled substances, and quick discovery of a shipper or receiver’s identity.  Field-forwarded scientific support may lead to swifter prosecutions, closure of intelligence gaps, seizures of illicit substances, and arrests of suspects.  Ultimately, this level of collaboration contributes to efficient use of individual parts to better serve justice to individuals and groups that threaten the security of the United States.

“Synthetic drugs, like fentanyl, are a dangerous and deadly threat facing the United States – Forward Operating Laboratories staffed by highly trained CBP chemists help protect our communities,” said CBP Assistant Commissioner Dave Fluty. “This laboratory will help us stay ahead of emerging drug threats and save lives.”

“Partnerships like these are essential for CBP to stay on the cutting edge of interdicting contraband safely and efficiently,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations for the Chicago Field Office. “Our dedicated workforce’s highest priority is to protect the American people against foreign and domestic threats and place America’s safety first.

Front line needs are constantly evolving, and the lab must continuously adapt by rapidly developing or deploying new capabilities and resources.  Strategic alignment allows for redirecting these resources to critical Agency operational requirements to meet the dynamic law enforcement environment.
 

The Restoring Trade Fairness Act - The Select Committee on the CCP

Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party introduced the Restoring Trade Fairness Act today, a bill that would revoke China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). In 2000, as China prepared to enter the WTO, Congress voted to extend PNTR status to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), hoping that the Chinese Communist Party would liberalize and adopt fair trading practices. Achieving PNTR status meant that the Chinese state-run economy received preferential tariff treatment under U.S. law, opening the door for the mass influx of products made in the communist nation. This gamble failed. In the two decades since, the United States manufacturing industry has been depleted, American firms have had their intellectual property pillaged by CCP economic coercion, and the CCP grew into America’s foremost adversary.

Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced companion legislation in the Senate earlier this year.

Following the bill’s introduction, Chairman Moolenaar said, “Today, I have introduced the Restoring Trade Fairness Act to stop the Chinese Communist Party from taking advantage of America and to level the playing field for American workers and our allies. Having permanent normal trade relations with China has failed our country, eroded our manufacturing base, and sent jobs to our foremost adversary. At the same time, the CCP has taken advantage of our markets and betrayed the hopes of freedom and fair competition that were expected when its authoritarian regime was granted permanent normal trade relations more than 20 years ago.

“Last year, our bipartisan Select Committee overwhelmingly agreed that the United States must reset its economic relationship with China. Today, building on tariffs from the Trump and Biden Administrations, the Restoring Trade Fairness Act will strip China of its permanent normal trade relations with the U.S., protect our national security, support supply chain resilience, and return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. and our allies. This policy levels the playing field and helps the American people win this strategic competition with the CCP.”

“China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations status has enriched the Chinese Communist Party while costing the United States millions of jobs. This comprehensive repeal of China’s PNTR status and reform of the U.S.-China trade relationship will protect American workers, enhance our national security, and end the Chinese Communists’ leverage over our economy,” said Senator Cotton.

Read the Restoring Trade Fairness Act HERE.

Background:

To combat the CCP’s economic warfare, President Trump implemented a series of tariffs in 2018 on hundreds of billions worth of Chinese goods. President Biden continued those tariffs and even expanded them to include Chinese electric vehicles. This bipartisan consensus across presidential administrations has effectively already revoked China’s PNTR status. As a result, the Select Committee voted nearly unanimously in 2023 to recommend revoking China’s PNTR status in statute. The Restoring Trade Fairness Act achieves this bipartisan goal and codifies a series of tariffs to push back against the CCP’s state-run economic aggression. The bill provides American businesses a clear structure and strategy to compete against CCP-aligned companies, provides assurances in the case of Chinese retaliation, and rectifies the jobs-killing mistake of granting Communist China privileged access to the American market. 

The recent United States International Trade Commission (ITC) report confirms that Section 301 tariffs on products from the PRC have not contributed meaningfully to inflation. Instead, these tariffs encouraged a shift in supply chains, reducing U.S. reliance on PRC imports in key sectors like electronics, automotive parts, and apparel. For every 1 percent increase in tariffs, imports from the PRC declined by about 2 percent, as U.S. importers diversified their manufacturing. Ultimately, the report highlights that the tariffs achieved a reduction in PRC dependence without causing significant price increases for U.S. consumers.

 How The Bill Works:

• The bill would end PNTR for China. There would be no annual Congressional vote for recertification. It would codify tariffs in statute and create a new tariff column for China.
• The new column would create a minimum 35% ad valorem (in proportion to the estimated value of the goods or transaction) tariff for non-strategic goods and a minimum 100% ad valorem tariff for all strategic goods.
• Phase-in period: The new tariff column rates would be phased-in over five years with 10 percent of the tariff increase implemented in year one, 25 percent of the increase implemented in year two, 50 percent of the increase implemented in year four, and 100 percent of the increase implemented in year five.
• Strategic Goods: Strategic goods are listed in the bill by HS code. They are based on the Biden administration’s Advanced Technology Product List and China’s Made in China 2025 plan.
• The bill would end De Minimis treatment for covered nations (including China) and require customs brokers for other de minimis shipments.
• It would provide tariff revenue to U.S. farmers and manufacturers injured by possible Chinese retaliation. Additional revenue would be used to purchase munitions vital to deterring CCP aggression in the Pacific.
   

ICYMI: First Shipment of American Turkey Departs for India - U.S. Trade Representative

This week, the first shipment of U.S. turkey – which takes advantage of the agreed upon reduced tariff rate – departed for India, allowing American producers to access a critical global market.

This announcement signifies the beginning of historic market access for United States poultry producers and reflects the elevated bilateral cooperation on trade achieved between the United States and India during the Biden-Harris Administration under United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

In September 2023, the United States and India agreed to resolve the poultry dispute, which was their last outstanding dispute at the World Trade Organization. As part of the resolution, India agreed to reduce tariffs on a range of U.S. agricultural products, including frozen turkey. The tariff cuts have enabled greater economic opportunities for American agricultural producers, and allowed producers to access Indian markets.

Read more below:

Press Trust of India: First American turkey shipment leaves for Indian market

[Lalit K. Jha, 11/14/2024]

The first shipment of American Turkey products for India left on Tuesday, marking a new phase in the bilateral trade relations between the two countries.

The shipment comes over a year after India agreed to the American request to reduce high tariffs on US turkey products.

US Senator from Virginia Mark Warner, who is also co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, said this marks a historic milestone in international trade, expanding the reach of American turkey products in global markets, and opening new doors for US turkey producers.

“This shipment is a tremendous opportunity for Virginia's poultry producers and a huge step forward for US-India trade,” he said.

“As co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, I look forward to the ongoing cooperation between our two nations and to seeing a wealth of new opportunities open up for Virginia's poultry producers,” Warner said.

This shipment comes as a result of a trade agreement and tariff reduction, facilitated by a collaborative effort between the two countries.

Last year, ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States, Warner was joined by a number of his colleagues in urging Ambassador Katherine Tai to increase market access for US turkey and poultry products.

These products previously faced significant barriers from the Indian market due to prohibitively high tariff.

“Our US turkey producers have long been committed to providing safe, nutritious, and versatile protein options worldwide, and we're excited to see Indian consumers experience the exceptional quality of American turkey,” said Leslee Oden, CEO of the National Turkey Federation.

This first shipment is a testament to the strength of US-India trade relations and a reflection of our shared commitment to expanding food diversity and quality, he said.

John King, president of Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative said the cooperative is “excited to be part of this new market opportunity”.

He added that the move will help nearly 200 independent turkey grower owners.

Hobey Bauhan, president of the Virginia Poultry Federation, also expressed hope of good returns, saying, “Virginia turkey farmers are pleased to offer high quality, lean protein for export to India, and we are grateful for those who facilitated this opportunity.”

Under the trade agreement announced in September 2023, India eliminated and reduced retaliatory tariffs on US turkey products, paving the way for increased access to the nation's rapidly growing protein market.
 

What Airline Passengers Need to Know About DOT’s Automatic Refund Rule - Department of  Transportation

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule to address persistent issues reported by airline passengers who were trying to obtain refunds they were owed. 

The DOT rule created universal standards for refunds owed to airline passengers traveling on flights to, from, or within the United States. It specified for the first time the types of flight changes deemed significant that entitle a passenger to a refund if the passenger chooses not to continue with booked travel. It also made clear that a cancelled flight would entitle a passenger to a refund if the passenger does not continue with booked travel and required airlines provide automatic refunds to passengers when refunds are owed, rather than the passenger needing to initiate the process for a refund. Prior to this rule, airlines were 1) permitted to set their own standards for what kind of flight changes warranted a refund; 2) alter those standards at their discretion; and 3) force passengers to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request refunds owed to them. 

The final rule also requires airlines to provide prompt notifications to passengers affected by a cancelled or significantly changed flight of their right to a refund of the ticket and extra service fees. This allows passengers to be better informed when they have the right to a refund. 

When Passengers Are Entitled to a Refund Under the Automatic Refund Rule
 

DHS Conducts Removal Flight to the People’s Republic of China - Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON – On November 16, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducted a third large-frame charter removal flight in less than six months to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of Chinese nationals with no lawful basis to remain in the United States. This removal flight is yet another example of the Department’s ongoing cooperation with the PRC and other international partners to reduce and deter irregular migration through enforcement of immigration law. DHS and its counterparts in the PRC also continue joint work to counter human smuggling networks. Our messaging has been clear: Do not believe the lies of smugglers. The United States continues to enforce immigration law, and those without a legal basis to remain will be removed.

DHS is enforcing U.S. immigration laws and delivering tough consequences for those who enter unlawfully or without authorization. This includes swiftly returning those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, while encouraging the use of safe, lawful, and orderly pathways; holding transnational criminal networks accountable for abusing our lawful trade and travel systems; and preventing the smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable people.

President Biden’s June 4 Proclamation temporarily suspending the entry of certain noncitizens across the southern border has led to a more than 52% decrease in Border Patrol encounters. DHS regularly engages counterparts throughout the hemisphere and around the world to accept removals of their nationals who have no legal basis to remain in the United States. From the implementation of President Biden’s Proclamation on June 4th through the end of October, DHS has operated more than 640 international repatriation flights to more than 155 countries—including the PRC, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, and India -- removing or returning more individuals in FY2024 than any year since FY2010. Efforts to expand removal flights continue.

FYI: Calling a Funeral Home about Prices and Services - Federal Trade Commission