The following is an update from various sources regarding the current government shutdown.

U.S. Customs – CBP operations are proceeding as normal. Ports of entry are open and clearance of cargo is ongoing with minimal impact according to Customs. Cargo security and revenue functions will remain operational.

The Customs broker licensing exam scheduled for Monday October 7th will take place.

The Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEE) are operational, but some personnel are furloughed. The Centers are doing their best to handle the tasks at hand.

The unit that handles manifest confidentiality requests has been furloughed.

Bond processing will be delayed.

The CBP client representative offices are closed.

Foreign C-TPAT validations will not take place since foreign travel is no longer authorized.

It is too soon to tell whether the Customs Trade Symposium scheduled for October 24th and 25th will take place. This will depend on the length of the shutdown.

FDA – FDA is operating with reduced staffing. Import entries are still being processed, but there could be delays, particularly with document reviews and exams.

APHIS – The website is shut down. The ePermits System remains operational. Permit applications must be sent electronically. USDA is not receiving mail at this time.

USDA – Inspections of meat, poultry and egg products will continue. The USDA website is not available.

Fish & Wildlife – The FWS website is down. FWS declarations must be submitted manually on paper forms.

Harmonized Tariff – The U.S. International Trade Commission has shut down its website for the Harmonized Tariff System.

Steel licenses – The steel license issuing system is closed. Those importers requiring a steel license should use a temporary code STEELX103 until further notice.

International Trade Commission – In addition to the above information regarding the Harmonized Tariff and steel licenses, the ITC has shut down its investigative activities for antidumping and countervailing duty cases. Schedules and deadlines for ADD and CVD cases will be tolled which means postponement and extension of the dates until the government reopens.

Schedule B – The Census Bureau has shut down its website for Schedule B. However, the Schedule B search engine is still operational.

Census – The Census website is down.

AES Direct – The system is operational.

Bureau of Industry and Security – BIS is no longer accepting export license applications, classification requests (CCATS), encryption reviews, encryption registrations, or advisory opinion requests. Similarly, BIS will not be issuing any final determinations. The SNAP-R application on BIS’s Website is not available and will not reopen until the shutdown ends. All pending export license applications, commodity classification requests, encryption reviews, encryption registrations, and advisory opinion requests will be held without action by BIS until the shutdown ends.

Applicants may request emergency processing of export license applications for national security reasons by submitting email requests to Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Administration Matthew Borman at [email protected]. The subject line of the email should read “Request for Emergency License” and the email must identify the applicant (including point of contact), intermediate and ultimate consignees, and end user(s), items, end use, and national security justification for the emergency processing.

The Office of Antiboycott Compliance personnel have been furloughed.

U.S. Export Assistance Center is closed.

State Department – After Friday October 4, licenses will be accepted only for emergency processing.

FMC – The FMC has suspended operations. Its systems will be unavailable to accept electronic filings for service contracts and NVOCC Service Arrangements (NSAs), and service contract and NSA amendments during the shutdown period.

The White House has posted a list of contingency plans for the various federal agencies. You can also consult the USA.gov website for shutdown details. Shapiro will continue to provide updates to keep you informed.