- 81% of voters think it is important for the U.S. to prohibit certain countries that pose a threat to American workers from being able to import foreign-made goods to the U.S. under the de minimis value.
- 79% of voters think it is important for the U.S. to prohibit certain countries that pose a threat to U.S. industries from being able to import foreign-made goods to the U.S. under the de minimis value.
- 76% of voters are concerned that the current U.S. de minimis value has allowed China to import a greater amount of goods into the United States with less likelihood of an inspection from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
WASHINGTON — A new poll of registered voters, conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA), shows an overwhelming majority (81%) of voters—including 79% of Democrats; 75% of Independents; 86% of Republicans—support the U.S. government prohibiting countries like China that pose a threat to American workers from using de minimis to export foreign-made goods to the U.S. Additionally, three times as many voters support Congress lowering the de minimis value as opposed to voters who want to increase it. Read the Key Takeaways here.
CPA strongly supports legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee. The Import Security and Fairness Act will narrow an import loophole, known as de minimis, that is used by non-market economies and counterfeiters to ship hundreds of millions of packages valued under $800 into the United States without inspection, information disclosure, or duty payment. This bill was included in the trade title of the House China bill that passed in February.
“It’s clear that an overwhelming majority of voters want Congress to finally address the rampant abuse of the de minimis loophole by China and companies like Amazon,” said Michael Stumo, CEO of CPA. “Since the pro-China lobby and multinational importers lobbied Congress to increase it to $800, imports of subquality—and often dangerous—Chinese goods have exploded to more than 2 million packages per day. While these pro-China special interests groups are lobbying hard to ensure that de minimis reform is not included in the final China competition bill, we strongly urge Senators and House members to reject these efforts and follow the will of the American people.”
“The number of packages we receive in the United States has skyrocketed to more than two million daily packages—a number that will only climb in the coming years. As long as foreign companies that sell their goods in America are orienting their business model to evade tariffs and oversight, American businesses will remain at a competitive disadvantage,” said Chairman Blumenauer. “My legislation to close the de minimis loophole and strengthen our trade import laws is widely supported by American voters. As Congress negotiates the House America COMPETES Act and the Senate USICA legislation, it is time to put out workers and industries first.”
Read the Key Takeaways here. View the full poll results from Morning Consult here and the cross tabs here.
Key Findings:
- Voters overwhelmingly support prohibiting certain countries from being able to import goods under de minimis if they pose a threat to the United States. 81% of voters agree certain countries should be prohibited if they pose a threat to American workers and 79% agree certain countries should be prohibited if they pose a threat to U.S. industries.
- U.S. voters want Congress to decrease the de minimis value. Nearly 3x as many voters (45%) support Congress lowering de minimis as opposed to voters (18%) who want Congress to increase it.
- 76% of voters are concerned that increased imports have caused the U.S. to become dependent on China for goods that are critical to the U.S. economy and U.S. national security. Only 10% are not concerned.
- 76% of voters are concerned that the current U.S. de minimis value has allowed China to import a greater amount of goods into the United States with less likelihood of an inspection from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Only 10% are not concerned.
- 74% of voters are concerned that most packages that pose a threat to U.S. intellectual property are imported to the U.S. from the online marketplace under the de minimis value, which means they avoid paying duties, taxes, and minimize chance of inspection. Only 11% are not concerned.
- 76% of voters are concerned the U.S. trade deficit, which hit a historic high at $1 trillion, does not include foreign-made goods imported under the de minimis value because the U.S. government does not calculate the value of the 2.7 million shipments that are imported daily under the de minimis threshold. Only 9% are not concerned.
- 73% of voters are concerned that China is both a non-market economy and on the U.S. Trade Representative’s Priority Watch List due to disregard for intellectual property laws, and under the current de minimis value, vendors in China are able to avoid paying duties, taxes, and inspections on foreign-made goods by declaring their shipment is valued at less than $800. Only 11% are not concerned.
