Nearly a Third of House Members Tell USTR to Leave de Minimis Alone
Do not change de minimis through the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, 130 House members told U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer last month, in a letter led by the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee chairman and ranking member. Members of both parties have panned the idea of a reciprocal de minimis in the NAFTA rewrite. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, recently said that the $800 threshold will not be changed through the implementing legislation (see 1910290048).
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The lawmakers also said that leaving de minimis in place but giving the administration the authority to lower it in the future is unacceptable. They said that the $800 de minimis established by law in 2016 has bipartisan support and is popular among manufacturers, retailers, and in the logistics and e-commerce sectors.
The National Foreign Trade Council said Nov. 12 that it welcomed the letter, and the Computer and Communications Industry Association issued a statement that said: “We appreciate the leadership of Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Vern Buchanan, Ron Kind and David Schweikert in keeping protections for small businesses as we implement this key 21st Century trade deal with our closest neighbors.” The USTR did not comment.