The free trade, foreign policy apparatus on Capitol Hill is openly advocating for the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), with senior committee leaders from both parties coming out in favor of it during a March 3 Center for Strategic and International Studies event about the trade deal’s future.
CPA welcomes the launch of a cross-agency Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security Trade Fraud Task Force, aimed at bringing robust enforcement against importers and other parties who seek to defraud the United States.
The closure of the de minimis loophole – which went into effect at midnight – stops the descent into eCommerce lawlessness characterized by the rise in platforms like Temu and Shein, and the fact that judgment-proof overseas retailers now make up the majority of vendors on Amazon’s U.S. store.
Closing de minimis means that commercial shipments from overseas vendors must enter the United States through standard customs procedures, submit full import documentation, and pay applicable duties and taxes—a long-overdue reform to restore order and accountability to America’s trade system.
The two Trump Administrations have reshaped the debate on U.S. trade policy. For the first time in decades, U.S. officials are no longer endorsing the “free trade” orthodoxy that has contributed to the erosion of its manufacturing sector. Instead, tariffs are now the centerpiece of U.S. plans to repatriate supply chains and reindustrialize America.
President Trump’s action to close the de minimis loophole for China is a monumental victory for American workers, manufacturers, and national security.
Members of the House Ways and Means Committee gave U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer a piece of their mind on Wednesday during a four-and-a-half-hour hearing—double the time he spent with the Senate Finance Committee the day before.
For years, the de minimis loophole has flooded the U.S. with uninspected, untaxed, and often dangerous goods—from counterfeit products to fentanyl precursors fueling America’s opioid crisis.
Jamieson Greer seems certain to be approved as the next United States Trade Representative (USTR), but the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee proved once again that they are anti-tariff—unless the target is China.
As of today, all merchandise originating in China must enter the United States through standard customs procedures, submit full import documentation, and pay applicable duties and taxes—a long-overdue reform to restore order and accountability to America’s trade system.
