Move reclaims America’s trade sovereignty
By Peter Navarro | The Washington Times | August 5, 2025
OPINION:
President Trump closed one of the biggest loopholes in American trade policy last week by eliminating the “de minimis rule” for the world. This move will add more than $100 billion to government coffers while protecting American workers and businesses from the ravages of unfair trade.
For decades, U.S. trade law allowed low-value imports to enter duty-free without formal customs declarations, a policy perhaps sensible when thresholds were minimal and e-commerce nonexistent. However, the $800 de minimis exemption has become a glaring loophole, costing billions of dollars in lost revenue and exposing U.S. manufacturers to relentless, unfair competition.
This crisis began in 2015 when Congress, under intense lobbying from corporations such as Amazon, eBay, FedEx and UPS, quadrupled the de minimis threshold from $200 to $800. K Street lobbyists claimed the move would streamline cross-border trade. Instead, it created an open invitation for global e-commerce giants, including Alibaba, Shein, Temu, AliExpress and Wish, to bypass U.S. tariffs and regulations.