Introduced by Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), the proposed legislation aims to address the backlog of goods at express entry ports in the US by promoting cooperation between express consignment carriers and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
If passed, it would enable express carriers or operators to informally enter imported shipments valued at $600 or less, while maintaining tariff collection and efforts to prevent fentanyl and other illicit products from entering the country.
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This is “an incredibly harmful measure,” NCTO president and CEO Kim Glas said in a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (D-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
The proposed bill would reopen the “dangerous” de minimis trade exemption and ultimately harm US textile manufacturers, Glas said.
The current ‘de minimis’ provision allows duty-free entry for goods worth $800 or less without a formal customs declaration.
Glas wrote: “Last year, through bipartisan action, Congress voted overwhelmingly to end de minimis after identifying the substantial harms it perpetrated.”
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By GlobalDataShe cited findings from the House China Select Committee in 2023: “The House China Select Committee determined in 2023 that Chinese e-commerce platforms were flooding the US with billions of dollars’ worth of goods but had paid $0 in import duties, while American companies comparatively spent millions. Additionally, these platforms were found lacking in due diligence mechanisms to verify that products were not tainted by forced labour in China.”
Congress moved last year to formally end the de minimis rule through legislation effective July 2027.
“As a result, the volume of small package deliveries has dramatically decreased, duty collections are up, and American consumers and workers are better off,” Glas said.
“Despite clear action from Congress and the administration on the negative impact of expresss shipment programs for ‘small value’ packages at US ports, some still want to provide duty relief to foreign importers while requiring less information on packages valued at up to $600 — making enforcement impossible and rewarding offshore producers.
“De minimis was labelled ‘China’s backdoor to the US,’ facilitated by an environment where goods were cleared on manifest, packages were not properly inspected or levied duties, and the risk posed was extremely high. The Secure Revenue Clearance Channel Act would recreate many of these same problems, with China being the biggest winner.”
