WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thanks to President Trump’s recent action on tariffs, China will no longer be eligible to avoid U.S. tariffs by trading under America’s de minimis policy. The Trump Administration announced on February 1st that it would revoke the de minimis privilege for all imports from China.
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s decision to revoke the use of de minimis for China:
“President Trump is ensuring that China can no longer avoid applicable tariffs simply by exporting packages with relatively low values. The Ways and Means Committee has spent significant time investigating the use of de minimis by China and other nations to undermine our trade enforcement tariffs and skirt compliance with U.S. law. The effect of increased abuse of the de minimis privilege has been to deny the U.S. Government collection of billions of dollars in additional revenues while unfairly disadvantaging American manufacturers. Legislation the Committee adopted last year would have ended the privilege for nearly 70 percent of imports from China – strengthening the effectiveness of the Section 301 tariffs that President Trump previously authorized. The Trump Administration is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to restoring some backbone to America’s trade policies.”
China has long exploited the de minimis privilege to undercut U.S. manufacturers and retailers by flooding markets with low-cost goods and skirting customs enforcement. The number of Chinese imports coming into the U.S. under the de minimis policy has surged in recent years from 208 million packages in 2018 to more than 640 million in 2023 – a 208 percent increase over just five years. This prompted the Ways and Means Committee to investigate the matter and approve legislation last year – the End China’s De Minimis Abuse Act introduced by Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) – that would curb the flow of such shipments from China, by eliminating the use of de minimis for goods subject to Section 301 tariffs or other U.S. trade remedies, including national security tariffs.
Congressman Murphy, M.D. issued the following statement:
“President Trump is taking bold action to ensure America is not ripped off in our trade relationship with China. I am particularly grateful to see that the de minimis privilege, which allows Chinese companies to avoid paying duties on goods under $800 has been suspended. We must ensure a fair playing field for American businesses to compete and end the abuse of our trade laws.”
Click here to read a fact sheet on the End China’s De Minimis Abuse Act.