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AEC Trade Update: July 2026

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China Aluminum Extrusion Administrative Reviews
On July 9, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the latest annual administrative reviews of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on aluminum extrusions from China.  The antidumping review covers imports from May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, while the countervailing duty review covers calendar year 2025.
These reviews are crucial to maintaining the effectiveness of the China aluminum extrusion orders.  Commerce will examine the sales and subsidy activity of the companies included in the reviews and determine the appropriate duty assessment and cash deposit rates for reviewed exporters and producers.
The China orders remain a cornerstone of AEC’s trade enforcement program.  AEC will continue participating actively in the reviews to help ensure that the orders provide meaningful relief from unfairly traded imports.

Section 301 and Section 122 Developments
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has proposed additional Section 301 tariffs of either 10 percent or 12.5 percent on imports from 60 economies that it determined have failed to prohibit or effectively restrict imports produced with forced labor.  Public hearings on the proposed action began July 7.
Articles and parts already subject to Section 232 tariffs, along with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement’s USMCA-compliant goods from Canada and Mexico, are excluded from the current proposal.  AEC will continue monitoring the proceedings, particularly for potential effects on downstream aluminum products and other industrial inputs.
AEC is also watching the approaching expiration of the temporary 10 percent Section 122 import surcharge.  Unless modified or extended by Congress, the surcharge is scheduled to expire on July 24.  The surcharge does not apply to the portion of an imported product already subject to Section 232 tariffs.

USMCA Review Continues
On July 1, the United States declined to extend the USMCA in its current form for a new 16-year term.  This decision did not terminate the agreement, which remains fully in force.
Because the three countries did not agree to an extension, annual joint reviews will continue for the remainder of the agreement’s current term.  The USMCA is scheduled to expire in 2036 unless the United States, Mexico, and Canada subsequently agree to extend it.  A new 16-year extension may be approved at any point before then.
The United States and Mexico are scheduled to hold their third bilateral negotiating round during the week of July 20 in Mexico City.  AEC will continue advocating for stronger rules of origin, effective enforcement, and policies that prevent nonmarket aluminum and aluminum products from entering the United States through North American supply chains.

Closing the Solar Domestic Content Loophole
AEC recently joined the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) in urging the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service to close a loophole in the domestic content requirements for solar energy tax credits.
The joint white paper calls for guidance confirming that aluminum extrusion must occur in the United States before a solar module frame can qualify as a U.S.-produced component under the domestic content bonus provisions of Sections 45Y and 48E.
Some manufacturers currently claim domestic content when imported aluminum extrusions are merely cut and punched in the United States.  AEC and CPA maintain that this practice overlooks the most significant manufacturing step and undermines companies that have invested in domestic extrusion capacity.

U.S. International Trade Commission Nominations
The AEC is also monitoring the Senate confirmation process for five nominees to the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC): Brett Doyle, David Foley Jr., Samuel Negatu, Peter-Anthony Pappas, and Bartholomew Thanhauser.
The Senate Finance Committee held a confirmation hearing for the nominees on June 25, and their nominations continue through the Senate process.
The USITC plays a critical role in antidumping and countervailing duty cases by determining whether unfairly traded imports have materially injured or threatened a domestic industry.  A fully functioning Commission is important to manufacturers that depend on timely and effective enforcement of U.S. trade laws.


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