Wyden Asks Lutnick to Defend de Minimis Rollout
Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to defend his assessment that "adequate systems were in place to 'fully and expeditiously process and collect duties for articles otherwise eligible for duty-free de minimis treatment on a global basis'" by July 30.
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Wyden, D-Ore., who had introduced legislation to end de minimis for all Chinese goods as well as textile and apparel products from all countries, said the end of de minimis caused major disruptions for small businesses, surprised customers with high taxes and fees on delivery, and caused dozens of countries' postal services to stop sending shipments to the U.S.
"I have serious concerns about your judgment and seek additional information regarding your role in the decision to abruptly end de minimis without proper systems in place to handle the change," Wyden wrote Oct. 3.
He said that using the mail rather than express couriers is a cheaper way to import goods.
He asked Lutnick to tell him, by the end of the month:
- which offices and/or bureaus within the Department of Commerce contributed to his analysis
- whether CBP, USPS or other agencies were consulted ahead of July 30
- whether Commerce consulted with the Universal Postal Union ahead of ending de minimis
- whether Commerce engaged with any foreign governments on de minimis ahead of the announcement, and if so, which ones.
The new customs policy resulted in shipping chaos, including dozens of foreign postal services halting shipments to the United States, surprise fees and taxes for customers with shipments already en route, and major disruptions for small businesses.