Washington, D.C. — The Alliance for American Manufacturing joins the National Council of Textile Organizations, the United Steelworkers, the AFL-CIO, and other nonprofit and nonpartisan partners in launching today the Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole. The Coalition was formed to urge reform of the de minimis provision in U.S. trade law, which allows packages valued at less than $800 to enter the United States without duties or inspection.
Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul said:
“The de minimis loophole means that our own trade laws are granting bad actors like SHEIN and Temu an outrageous advantage over American manufacturers. These Chinese companies have built billion-dollar businesses by exploiting de minimis, hooking American consumers on below-bargain-basement prices and supercharging a retail race to the bottom.
“There’s a very real cost hidden behind these cheap wares, and it’s paid by the men and women on the factory floor both here and abroad. The de minimis provision invites importers to cheat the system and to exploit their workers. The United States must close this loophole now.”
Background:
Already in fiscal year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) estimates that at least 485 million packages have entered the U.S. through the de minimis provision. In fiscal year 2023, more than 1 billion de minimis shipments entered the United States.
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