On April 30, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567). The legislation extends agricultural programs through 2031 and contains significant national security elements, beyond the headline coverage of food stamp cuts and pesticide liability changes. Notably, the bill does not impose a sweeping ban
Tariff-refund class actions on the rise: What brands and retailers need to know
As U.S. Customs and Border Protection prepares to launch Phase 1 of its streamlined tariff refund process on April 20, a wave of consumer class action lawsuits is targeting brands, retailers, and importers seeking tariff-related payouts. Because consumers will not directly receive government refunds, plaintiffs across the country are filing putative class actions against major
RePowerEU Update: Six Countries Cleared for Simplified Gas Imports
The European Commission has granted six countries – Algeria, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, the United Kingdom and the United States – an exemption from prior authorisation requirements for natural gas imports under the RePowerEU Regulation.
What does this mean?
Gas sourced from these six countries will no longer require prior authorisation under Article 5(3) or evidence
New EU deal fast-tracks the permanent phase-out of Russian gas
The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional political agreement to permanently end all imports of Russian natural gas into the EU on an accelerated timetable. The deal brings forward key deadlines for LNG and pipeline gas, tightens limits on contract amendments, enhances anti-circumvention and origin-tracking rules, and strengthens enforcement with significant penalties. Member
Regulation to phase out Russian gas imports backed by EU Council
Following the EU’s existing embargo on Russian crude oil and petroleum products, the European Commission has proposed, and the Council has now agreed in principle, a complementary Regulation designed to end the remaining inflows of Russian natural gas into the Union. The measure gives legal effect to the Commission’s May 2025 Roadmap towards ending Russian
Navigating international trade: why developing a global customs valuation policy is a must for luxury brands
The distinctive features that set a luxury brand’s products apart aren’t created only on the factory floor. For example, a company’s sketches from Paris, R&D in Milan, and artisanal prototypes perfected in Tokyo all flow into the production line. These upstream inputs (known as assists) must be carefully managed to avoid issues when the final
DOJ dedicates significant resources to priority of investigating and prosecuting tariff evasion
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is reshaping the Criminal Division’s white-collar program to focus on tariff and trade fraud. In the past months, DOJ has significantly narrowed the scope of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement. Now, DOJ is dedicating significant additional resources and attention to tariff evasion. On July 10, acting Assistant Attorney General of
False Claims Act: 2024 enforcement trends and what to expect in 2025
In 2024, the Department of Justice saw a record number of qui tam actions under the False Claims Act (FCA), with total settlements and judgments exceeding $2.9 billion. Throughout this next year, we expect to see this uptick in enforcement continue, especially in light of the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies
Key investigations and enforcement trends for 2025
With U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent return to the White House, major regulatory changes are on the horizon for 2025. On Thursday, January 23rd, we gathered a group of regulatory attorneys from across Reed Smith to provide a one-hour CLE that outlined the key trends to watch for this year. In their latest
U.S. and UK Intensify Sanctions Against Russia’s Oil Sector in one of the Largest Rounds of Designations Since the Outbreak of the War
On January 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a sweeping set of actions to further reduce Russian revenues from energy, including blocking two major Russian oil producers, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, and imposing sanctions on a very significant number of oil-carrying vessels, opaque traders of Russian oil located in jurisdictions like Hong Kong and the UAE, Russia-based oilfield service providers, and Russian energy officials. The U.S. Department of State also took steps to block two active liquefied natural gas projects, a large Russian oil project, and third-country entities supporting Russia’s energy exports. Lastly, the United Kingdom also joined the U.S. in sanctioning Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas – which, coupled with the joint Memorandum of Understanding issued by OFAC and OFSI on January 13, is a testament to the increased cooperation between the U.S. and UK authorities. Although there are wind-downs in place for most of these entities, this round of designations is likely to cause major disruptions in the market. We summarize the new restrictions in turn below:
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