Shutdown Hurts Administration Crackdown on Unfair Trade Practices

The partial government shutdown is complicating the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on unfair trade practices, halting action on cases ranging from product dumping to allegations of foreign subsidies paid on goods.

The delay in unfair trade cases is just one of many ways the partial U.S. government shutdown—now in its third week—is affecting goods moving into or out of the country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is still releasing cargo at the border like normal. But almost every other aspect of how the U.S. government handles trade has been impacted and the lingering effects are likely to be ...