Arguing to keep an exclusion
Winning an exclusion was not the end of it. Each one expired, and USTR ran public dockets asking whether it should continue. 7,143 comments across 14 dockets argue the case for and against — and many name the exact exclusion they are defending.
These are not exclusion requests, and they are not counted as any. Every product discussed here had already won its exclusion. The population is different, the question is different, and nothing on this page is pooled with the request corpora or used to compute any rate.
| Docket | What was asked | Comments | Exclusions named | HTS identified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USTR-2021-0019 | Possible reinstatement of certain exclusions (Oct–Dec 2021) | 2,024 | 489 | 300 |
| USTR-2020-0015 | List 1 — extension comments, Sep 2019 exclusion notice | 1,415 | 545 | 317 |
| USTR-2024-0001 | Possible extension of certain exclusions (Jan–Feb 2024) | 866 | — | — |
| USTR-2021-0010 | Modifications to COVID-19 exclusions (Aug–Sep 2021) | 603 | — | — |
| USTR-2020-0016 | List 1 — extension comments, Oct 2019 exclusion notice | 474 | 252 | 161 |
| USTR-2020-0021 | List 2 — extension comments, Sep 2019 exclusion notice | 451 | 194 | 137 |
| USTR-2025-0019 | Whether particular exclusions warrant extension beyond 29 Nov 2025 | 430 | — | — |
| USTR-2020-0027 | List 4A — extension comments, Mar–Jun 2020 exclusion notices | 227 | 70 | 24 |
| USTR-2020-0026 | List 3 — extension comments, Apr–May 2020 exclusion notices | 198 | 92 | 29 |
| USTR-2020-0029 | List 4A — extension comments, Jul 2020 exclusion notices | 147 | 84 | 53 |
| USTR-2020-0025 | List 2 — extension comments, Oct 2019 exclusion notice | 126 | 61 | 41 |
| USTR-2023-0001 | Extending COVID-related product exclusions (Feb–Mar 2023) | 97 | — | — |
| USTR-2020-0030 | List 4A — extension comments, Aug 2020 exclusion notice | 69 | 44 | 37 |
| USTR-2020-0031 | List 1 — extension comments, Oct 2019 exclusion notice | 16 | 7 | 4 |
A dash means that docket does not attach comments to a specific exclusion — the commenter addressed the round as a whole.
Why this matters more than its size suggests
Several dockets attach each comment to a specific granted exclusion, whose text embeds the HTS statistical reporting number. USTR later published which exclusions it extended. Joining the two would give argument and outcome on the same rows — the only place in this project where that combination looks reachable. Not attempted yet; the extension decisions must be parsed from Federal Register notices first.
Stated plainly: this is the one place in the project where argument and outcome look like they could end up on the same rows. Everywhere else, the corpus with outcomes has no grounds and the corpus with grounds has no outcomes. It has not been attempted, and until the extension decisions are parsed and joined, nothing here supports a claim about what persuades anyone.
Where the join is densest
USTR-2021-0019
| Exclusion | HTS | Comments | As described in the notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20(q)(262) | 8703.21.0110 | 150 | Four-wheel off-road vehicles, with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engines, of a cylinder capacity not exceeding 1,000 cc, with straddle seat and handl |
| 20(k)(11) | 8421.39.8015 | 35 | Air purification equipment, electrically powered, weighing less than 36 kg (described in statistical reporting number 8421.39.8015) |
| 20(v)(86) | 8711.60.0000 | 26 | Motorcycles with electric power for propulsion, each of a power not exceeding 1,000 W (described in statistical reporting number 8711.60.0000 prior to July 1, 2019; described in st |
| 20(j)(11) | 8479.90.9496 | 23 | Reject doors, pin protectors, liners, front walls, grates, hammers, rotor and end disc caps, and anvil and breaker bars, of iron or steel, the foregoing parts of metal shredders (d |
| 20(j)(7) | 8431.20.0000 | 22 | Tines, carriages, and other goods handling apparatus and parts designed for use on fork lift and other works trucks (described in statistical reporting number 8431.20.0000) |
USTR-2020-0015
| Exclusion | HTS | Comments | As described in the notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20(mm)(3) | 3918.10.1000 | 26 | Floor coverings of polyvinyl chloride, presented in the form of tiles or planks designed to snap together during installation (described in statistical reporting number 3918.10.100 |
| 20(w)(18) | 8302.50.0000 | 18 | Stamped and formed brackets of steel (described in statistical reporting number 8302.50.0000) |
| 20(mm)(22) | 9401.79.0015 | 16 | Folding chairs with frames of steel and/or aluminum, each measuring 30 cm or more but not over 97 cm in width, 20 cm or more but not over 89 cm in depth and 30 cm or more but not o |
| 20(tt)(2) | — | 15 | 3923.21.0095 |
| 20(ss)(47) | 9403.90.8041 | 15 | Parts of office furniture, each consisting of a modular table base and support of base metals, with electric height adjustment mechanism, weighing not more than 40 kg (described in |
USTR-2020-0016
| Exclusion | HTS | Comments | As described in the notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20(yy)(21) | 3918.10.1000 | 14 | Floor coverings in the form of planks or tiles of vinyl with cores of high density plastic composite or stone polymer composite, each with a surface layer measuring at least 0.1 mm |
| 20(xx)(67) | 8516.60.4070 | 14 | Portable countertop air fryers of a kind used for domestic purposes (described in statistical reporting number 8516.60.4070) |
| 20(xx)(1) | — | 13 | 8424.90.9080 |
| 20(xx)(83) | 8708.70.4545 | 9 | Road wheels of cast aluminum for vehicles of heading 8703, each measuring 30 cm or more but not exceeding 56 cm in diameter and 15 cm or more but not over 31 cm in width (whether d |
| 20(yy)(133) | 9401.71.0031 | 8 | Upholstered chairs with frames of iron or steel (described in statistical reporting number 9401.71.0031) |
Comment counts are as filed. A count is not a measure of merit, and no relationship between comment volume and any USTR decision is asserted — the decisions have not been joined to this data. Source: USTR Comments Portal, retrieved 2026-09-09.