The United States has announced modifications to its trade arrangements with Israel and other countries, as well as technical updates to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). These changes are intended to implement commitments under existing free trade agreements and correct previous technical errors in tariff classifications.
On April 22, 1985, the United States and Israel entered into the Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area (USIFTA), which was approved by Congress. The agreement provides for reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions in trade between the two countries. To maintain these concessions, subsequent agreements were made over the years regarding agricultural products.
On December 1, 2025, a new agreement was reached between the United States and Israel to make permanent modifications to an earlier 2004 agreement concerning agricultural products. An additional agreement was signed on December 4, 2025, extending the period that the previous arrangement remains in force while these permanent changes take effect. "Pursuant to section 4(b) of the USIFTA Implementation Act, I have determined that it is necessary, in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel provided for by the USIFTA, to provide duty-free access into the United States through the close of December 31, 2026, for specified quantities of certain agricultural products of Israel, as provided in Annex I of this proclamation," said President Donald J. Trump.
This extension allows eligible Israeli agricultural products duty-free entry into the U.S. until December 31, 2026. Specific quotas for various product categories have been set out in Annex I of President Trump's proclamation.
Technical corrections have also been made related to other U.S. free trade agreements with Singapore and South Korea. These include amendments correcting rules of origin for certain goods under both agreements due to previously identified errors.
Additionally, conforming changes were made regarding African Growth and Opportunity Act provisions within HTSUS subchapters following inadvertent omissions during prior updates.
Executive Order 14346 issued on September 5, 2025 authorized officials at Commerce and USTR to implement required steps for current or forthcoming trade agreements—including further adjustments within HTSUS affecting goods from trading partners such as those from European Union member states—following reciprocal tariff policies established earlier in April that year.
Finally, further updates reflect numbering adjustments resulting from recent proclamations impacting import categories like timber or vehicle parts; these ensure cross-references within tariff schedules remain accurate after structural changes.
"In order to implement tariff commitments under the 2004 Agreement through December 31, 2026, the HTSUS is modified as set forth in Annex I of this proclamation," reads one provision from President Trump's statement. Other modifications detailed in Annex II address specific classification corrections across several chapters relevant for customs processing.
President Trump concluded: "Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent of such inconsistency."
