Dozens of House Dems Ask DHS to Address de Minimis in Textile Enforcement Plan
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and 40 other House Democrats are asking Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas "to crack down on the de minimis trade loopholes allowing cheap fast-fashion products to flow into the U.S."
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DeLauro and her colleagues wrote that they're glad the department will produce "a comprehensive textile sector enforcement plan within 30 days" (see 2401310047). Mayorkas announced that plan after meeting with the National Council of Textile Organizations, which is lobbying to bar e-commerce -- or at least apparel -- from de minimis entries.
The Feb. 28 letter said: "Harmful and illegal customs practices take various forms, including but not limited to abuse of the Sec. 321 de minimis tariff wavier system, circumvention of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Sec. 301 penalty tariffs and other trade enforcement measures, and false origin claims under U.S. free trade agreements that displace domestic and regionally-produced textiles and apparel. We encourage as part of the referenced plan that each of these avenues for fraud be robustly addressed, including utilizing the Administration’s considerable authorities to comprehensively address the massive unregulated trade entering the U.S. via de minimis and exacerbating the economic crisis faced by American manufacturers and retailers."