Trade and National Security Actions and Low-Value Shipments

On January 20, 2025, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection published in the Federal Register (90 FR 6852) Trade and National Security Actions and Low-Value Shipments.

SUMMARY: This document proposes amendments to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations pertaining to the administrative exemption for certain low-value shipments not exceeding $800. Specifically, CBP proposes to make merchandise that is subject to specified trade or national security actions ineligible for this administrative exemption and to require that certain shipments claiming this exemption provide the 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)vclassification of the merchandise.

DATES: Comments must be received by March 24, 2025.

An industry that is particularly vulnerable to circumvention by qualifying low-value shipments from China is the U.S. textile and apparel manufacturing industry. A large volume of Chinese textile and apparel imports claim the administrative exemption, thereby avoiding tariffs. Further, approximately 50 percent of the value of current qualifying low-value shipments is attributed to textiles and apparel that would otherwise be subject to additional duties under Section 301 Broadly speaking, an estimated 15.9 percent of total imports covered by Section 232, 201, and 301 tariffs are exempt from the tariffs as a result of claiming the administrative exemption.26 By excepting imported goods that are subject to additional duties imposed under Section 232, 201, and 301 actions from the administrative exemption under 19 /U.S.C.