Parties & Agencies

U.S. International Trade Commission

Also known as: USITC · ITC

The independent federal agency that publishes the HTS, investigates trade injury, and provides Congress with trade analysis.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is an independent, quasi-judicial federal agency headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is led by six Commissioners, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for nine-year terms, with no more than three from the same political party.

The USITC plays four central roles in U.S. trade policy:

  • Publishing the HTSUS — The Commission maintains and publishes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, including periodic revisions and Chapter 99 updates
  • Antidumping and countervailing duty injury investigations — In every AD/CVD case, the USITC determines whether U.S. industry is materially injured or threatened with injury (Commerce determines dumping/subsidy margins separately)
  • Section 201 safeguard investigations — The Commission investigates whether import surges have caused or threatened serious injury to a U.S. industry and recommends remedies to the President
  • Section 337 unfair import investigations — Adjudicates IP-related unfair trade practice cases, often resulting in exclusion orders enforced by CBP

The USITC also produces in-depth economic studies and trade statistics, including the public DataWeb database of U.S. import and export data. It is independent of both the executive branch and any party at interest — Commissioners are not removable except for cause, and the agency reports to Congress as well as the President.

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Related Terms

HTS Code

A 10-digit numeric code used to classify imported merchandise into the United States and determine the duty rate.

Antidumping Duty

A duty imposed on imported goods sold in the United States at less than fair value, when those imports cause or threaten material injury to a domestic industry.

Countervailing Duty

A duty imposed to offset government subsidies provided to foreign producers, when those subsidized imports cause or threaten material injury to a domestic industry.

Section 122 Tariffs

A presidential authority under the Trade Act of 1974 to impose temporary across-the-board import surcharges of up to 15% to address large and serious U.S. balance-of-payments deficits.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The federal agency that enforces U.S. customs laws, collects duties, and processes imports at every U.S. port of entry.
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